62. Refusing To Be A Victim and Doing Whatever It Takes with Mike Bednarz

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Join us for one of the most inspirational conversations you can hear as we sit down with Mike Bednarz.  It was just another day quoting a job for his commercial HVAC company, Bedco Mechanical, when Mike suddenly lost control of a ladder and fell 25 feet onto concrete.  Mike suffered a severe brain injury and shattered many bones from that accident.  He shares his story of how he had always lived a life of discipline, and his choices leading up to his injury helped him bounce back even stronger and more resilient after doctors had doubted his remarkable recovery. 

Our conversation also dives into Mike's passion for entrepreneurship, real estate, fitness, and veganism. 

Join us for this impactful episode.

Episode Transcript

Jason Wagner (00:00):
Welcome back to another episode of the Real Life
Investing Podcast with Jasonand Rachel Wagner.
Dude, we have a badass in thehouse today.
Mike Bednarz is joining us.
This guy is an entrepreneur.
He's got the mindset of achampion.
He is a real estate investor.
He's young as hell and guesswhat, he's a vegan.

Mike Bednarz (00:19):
Wow, I feel like I should walk out after that
introduction.
I can't beat that.

Jason Wagner (00:24):
This is going to be a conversation that's going
to be motivational as hell.
You're going to hear Mike'sstory and Mike's got a just.
I mean, mike's a guy.
I feel like you are living on awhole nother level after what
has happened in your life, and Ithink that you have such an
inspirational story to reallytell and I can't wait to get

(00:47):
into it.
But, mike, why don't you justtell us a little bit about who
you are, what your business is,why you got into real estate and
why are you a vegan too?
Wow, I appreciate all that.

Mike Bednarz (01:00):
We'll start with the veganism that's top of mind.
I grew up in the you knowbodybuilding culture.
I'm sure you did play soccer incollege.
Everything is like protein,protein, protein, you know.
So I was brainwashed.
I used to I don't want to saymake fun of kids that were vegan
or vegetarian, but not the bestthings to say about them and I
read a book called how not todie in probably about 10 years

(01:23):
ago, and it just exposed me tokind of separating yourself from
all the marketing and thingsthat you believe to be true.
Like you need meat at everymeal, you know you need milk,
you need milk to grow your bones.
And this book really educatedme and I had that type of
personality where I can like cutthings out cold turkey if I

(01:46):
know it's good or bad, like I'mall in no hesitation.
So actually this Thanksgivingis nine or ten years I decided
to try it.
I cut out meat and I've neverlooked back since.
I'm a type one diabetic too, soit's it's helped tremendously
with my blood sugar, myregulation, my numbers, and I
just feel like I've been exposedto a lot of stuff in this world

(02:11):
that has made me believe thatthis is truly the right path
that everyone should do.
If you care about health andlongevity, you know balance is
certainly important in life.
Like you need balance and Irealized I've had a hard time.
How would you say, like Iapologize my brain.

(02:33):
You know we could talk aboutthe injury, but sometimes I miss
the words and forget words.
But just being like having thatsort of discipline and exposure
at the same time, it's like I'mall in, I'm on this.
This is definitely going togoing to help me get going and
improve my life and my longevityand variance of fitness.
So it's been huge in thatregard.

(02:55):
As far as the entrepreneurstuff, my brother and I own a
commercial HVAC company, soheating and air conditioning,
own a commercial HVAC company,so heating and air conditioning
One.
We could talk about my accidentand second, it's actually the
reason I haven't had an accidentor fell, but when I fell, had
my accident, we had it was mybrother and I.

(03:16):
He's just amazing.
Like people say don't partnerwith your brother, don't partner
with family, but like I'd be noone without this guy.
He's amazing at what he does.
We never fight like we're justsuch a great yin and yang.
So we started the company whenI went down in august 2023, we
had two guys.
Now we have nine trucks.

(03:37):
We actually just bought ourninth truck yesterday.
So we've just been I've beenmore exposed to like the
business side of things you youknow selling things like that
since I went down, since I'm notcleared to be on a roof or
anything, so we've just beenable to grow exponentially in
terms of that.
So that's awesome.
I'm trying to remember yourthought the real estate we can

(03:58):
dive into whatever you want toafter real estate.
I'm that type of person kind ofjust built like the long-term
goals, which is a huge strugglefor me personally, because it's
a hard time to find, not to sayI don't enjoy life, but I'm so
focused on the next couple ofyears, the next things where I'm

(04:19):
like I'm in a very blessedfinancial situation, like I
could pretty much do whatever Iwant, but like I'm like yo, I
got to save this up, I got toget the next investment.
So it's been hard to kind ofbalance that like short-term
benefit versus the long-termmentality.
But I always knew, since I wasprobably 20 years old, I wanted

(04:41):
to to buy and get into realestate.
20 years old, I wanted to buyand get into real estate.
So I had saved up for four,five, six years I was living at
home where I grew up, in DesPlaines, and commuting to the
city on the Metro every day.
And all my friends are livingin River North, lincoln Park,
getting these apartments and I'mlike you're just wasting cash.

(05:02):
What are you doing?
So my original plan was to saveup.
I was going to buy a condo andhave two of my buddies like pay
me rent.
But I was like you know, realestate's all math.
To me, it's all just simplemath and a long term, a short
term sacrifice for a long termgain.
So I'm like you know what?

(05:22):
I'm just going to buy amultifamily.
I'm just going to buy amultifamily, I'm just going to
go all in.
So it was very hard to get tothat mentality.
You know you have like anxiety,like if this breaks, I'm like
you know all these negativethoughts, but you just got to
put those to rest and dive in.
I believe.
Like so I bought my firstmultifamily in 2020.

(05:43):
I bought a three flat in Edisonpark on the Northwest side.
My dad's amazing too, like he,he knows.
So you met him.
Yeah, he's an interesting dude.
You, he, uh, he knows so muchabout like fixing and building
and all these things.
So him and I literally spent anentire year gutting the garden

(06:05):
apartment.
So I moved into the gardenapartment.
I had enough cash flow to coverall my expenses on the first
and second floor units for whatI was doing.
So we spent a year literallybuilding that thing up in the
basement and then I moved inthere.
I lived down there for probablytwo, three years and then my

(06:27):
girlfriend Maddie and I we movedup to the first floor.
So now I do a medium termrental, which is a minimum of 30
days.
Yeah, there's a website calledFurnished Finder.
I'd highly recommend it.
It's just like in that area.
It's just they're both noddingtheir heads audience.
It's just like it's.
I literally I don't know theexact number, but it's less than

(06:48):
1% vacancy for that thing and Iget a premium.
I just left all my stuff downthere.
So that building has beenextremely lucrative and I got
into you know I'm familiar, I'msure you're familiar with bigger
pockets Like they're all likeone a year, one a year.
So like that was likeprogrammed in my mind.
So 2020 bought the Edison parkthree flat, lived in the

(07:12):
basement.
2021, or sorry, excuse me 2021to kind of just renovated and
did all our stuff, um, and thenwas living there and there.
And then 2022, I bought a mixeduse six unit in Norwood Park,
right on the half circle.
There's actually like kind ofInstagram famous like a cafe in

(07:33):
there.
Now that's been really huge.
The two girls are great.
It's called October Cafe.
They're in there.
So there's three units on thefirst floor and then three units
on the second and third floorthat are residences on the first
floor and then three units onthe second and third floor that
are residences.
So that was my first experienceinto commercial real estate.

(07:54):
So, as you guys know, fourunits and less is residential.
So anything above four isconsidered commercial.
So people like you know,there's a lot of negativity
surrounding that, like in thereal estate community.
Like it's scary, like I didn'treally experience that.
It's like it's a numbers gameto me and I knew this thing was
underperforming to the max.
It was grossing in 2023, 2022.

(08:17):
I think my gross rent was like$5,500-ish and right now I'm
above, right above, $10,000 amonth.
Oh shit.

Jason Wagner (08:26):
Yeah, and right now I'm above right above 10
grand a month.

Mike Bednarz (08:27):
Oh shit, yeah, and I like doubled it.
It's, it's pretty.
The updates and things I'vedone have been fairly easy.
And I have to.
It's called a balloon loan.
So in five years, so in August2027, I have to refinance
because they call the loan andit's due.
So by then, you know, based onmy math, you know I'm going to

(08:50):
pull all my cash out and get acouple hundred grand.
Knock on wood.
Hopefully that's my plan.
So that was 2022, 2023.
I purchased a mixed usecommercial property in downtown
Edison Park.
It's a two unit.
There's a right now BananaNails is in there and then

(09:12):
there's a residence in the back.
As I'm analyzing and whathappened to me and everything
that doesn't perfectly fit myportfolio, like I want to
eventually sell it and scale upwe can talk about 1031s into
something bigger, but that wasmy plan there.
That building performs prettywell.
Our original plan was to bringour company, the commercial HVAC

(09:34):
company, into that and havethat as our space.
But I was just messing aroundposting it to see if I could get
any traction.
And this her name's Anastasia.
She owns Banana Nails.
There's one in Irving Park aswell.
She viewed the place loved itand you know we worked out a
five-year deal, so so that one'sbeen great and you know kind of

(09:55):
managing that.
And then actually, with the manon the other end of the podcast
, he brought me a deal in.
He brought me a deal in thisyear, 2024.
Since we could not move ourbusiness into the 2023 one
Downtown Edison Park BananaNails took it I was still on the

(10:15):
hunt for a mixed use property.
The reason I'm so gung ho onmixed uses is because there's a
huge tax.
A tax burden is alleviated onceyou have residences compared to
a commercial property.
So the taxes are more favorableand I knew we had a little you

(10:35):
know card in our pocket that wecan move our business there.
So if there was an issue withone tenant or a vacancy, like
that was kind of what I waslooking for.
So in this one was a pain toclose.
But in April we closed on mixeduse five unit in downtown or
not downtown, just Edison Parkand we're moving our business

(10:57):
there in the next month.
And then the other four areleased up and also through this
process we were talking off air.
Like you know, you save money,you save money, save money and
then we're the type of peopleyou just invest it.
So, in the process, this pastcouple of years journey, I have
a six unit with two other guysin Portage Park and then I'm a

(11:19):
part of three syndication deals,I believe.
So, like I'm all into realestate, like you know, based on
my calculation numbers, like Icould probably have the
opportunity to retire in acouple years.
But I'm like, so I don't wantto say I'm addicted to work.
My family and girlfriend willtell you I am.

(11:41):
But like this is just, I justsee the future so clearly and it
just makes so much sense.
It fits with my personality onthe the short term sacrifices
for the long term gains.
Like, yeah, I could have takenthat down payment and, you know,
bought an awesome single family.
But you know, my girlfriend andI are living in a three bedroom

(12:04):
apartment with, like, peoplebelow us and above us, which,
you know, we're getting to thepoint where that might be a
little too much, since we builtthe foundation.
So, all right, all right.

Jason Wagner (12:14):
So this is we literally just heard everything
you did within the last fouryears, and I mean.
Correct me if my timeline iswrong, but, like you said, you
started your HVAC business in2023.

Mike Bednarz (12:27):
No, sorry, we started the HVAC.
Has been six years, so what isthat?
2018.
Okay, all right.

Jason Wagner (12:34):
So 2018 is really when you started.
That was kind of like thebeginning of the timeline right
so 2018 is when your HVACbusiness started, and then in
2020, that's kind of when youbought your first multifamily.

Mike Bednarz (12:45):
Correct started and then in 2020 that's kind of
when you bought your firstmultifamily, correct?
I was working a corporate job.
Before that, I was working foriheart media.
They own a bunch of radiostation, you know.
They said all that stuff and Iwas just like, looking at my
boss's life, they're sendingemails till 2, 3 am.
All this stuff.
They look I'm like that's notwhat I want to do.
You know, this isn't for me.
So my brother has been atechnician pretty much since 17,

(13:07):
18 years old and he's like whatare you doing?
We can start this, we can growthis, we can build, you know.
So it took me a year to get tothat process, because I went to
school in New York and I wasjust like brainwashed, like go
work for a big firm, like climbthe corporate ladder, do all
these things, and I'm like I wasso unhappy at my job and I had
him whispering in my ear all thetime, so it took me a year, but

(13:30):
eventually I'm like, yeah,let's do it, and we did.

Jason Wagner (13:34):
So your brother was.
He was working for another HVACcompany prior to all that, and
then you guys joined and startedit from scratch.

Mike Bednarz (13:43):
I thought your dad had a little bit of hvac in him
too.
Right, my dad did hvac too, solike my brother, has that, you
know, in his back pocket.
For me I didn't have that.

Jason Wagner (13:54):
He's amazing, like technically, but your dad
didn't did.
Your dad own a company, my dad?

Mike Bednarz (13:58):
yeah, he worked for a company called hill
mechanical.
Okay, yeah, he started acompany, so we were, then he
started his own.
Okay, yeah, we were alsoexposed to yeah, yeah,
entrepreneur type of beautifuland this was always something
you know.

Jason Wagner (14:11):
We, we skewed more towards yeah, yeah, okay, no, I
love it.
So what's what's really funnyis that I think there was an
article the other day that wastalking about how the, the
millionaires, are coming fromthe hvac companies did you see
that one floating aroundFacebook?

Mike Bednarz (14:27):
I'm pretty sure that's a billion.
No, I mean, I always tellpeople like it's not a sexy job
but it's very lucrative, like Ihandle all of our margins, all
our invoices.
So I see it and you know, Iknow the margins involved and

(14:47):
I'm very, you know.
To the previous points, I wouldsay money motivated, which is
good.

Jason Wagner (14:52):
Would you say that there's a shortage of HVAC
companies that are out there?

Mike Bednarz (14:57):
I think the biggest problem nowadays, while
I've been hiring and trying tofind people, is that you know
our demographic, like they don'treally want to work and they
don't want to work in the trades.
So as all those older guys getout of you know the field the 40
, 50, 60 year old guys get outof the field, there's going to

(15:17):
be no new influx of people.
So right now we strictly docommercial and industrial.
There is like, if you're a goodcompany and you do good work
and have fair prices, there's noissue at finding work,

(15:47):
residential ones specifically.
But, as I was mentioning, in 10, 15, 20 years, like there's,
they're gonna lose a lot becauseall those old timers and the
trades are gone yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jason Wagner (15:54):
There's a such a huge opportunity to be in the
trades right now is a lot ofyour business.
Are you doing like new installsor are you doing like just
servicing?

Mike Bednarz (16:03):
Our bread and butter is service and
maintenance.
So we have a lot of contractswith municipalities, um, which
are like obligated to do what'scalled perform like performative
maintenance on their HVACequipment and then that kind of
gets us.
Our strategy is then we we'vebeen I don't want to say cheap,
but like we come incompetitively and affordable

(16:24):
with that.
But that leads to all theservice work.
When something breaks we'regoing to call Bedco you know
they have our contract, theyknow the equipment.
Like we've just been able togrow through that strategy and
organically we don't spendanything on like advertising or
marketing and we're actuallylike shattered the goals I had

(16:45):
for this year.
So it's been a really good yearfor us.

Jason Wagner (16:49):
That's incredible.
That's like an awesome.
That's an awesome businessstory and the entrepreneurship
side of things.
Rachel, I want you to kind ofgo into.
Mike talked about so manythings here.

Rachel Wagner (16:58):
Yeah, Well, one one thing that I want to ask you
is you mentioned you knew fromearly age I think you said like
20 that you wanted to get intoreal estate and buy a bunch of
properties, and I'm just curiousif you can identify where that
desire came from.

Mike Bednarz (17:11):
It's a good question Because that's young, I
mean to have that clear of avision.

Rachel Wagner (17:14):
I mean we were a lot older.

Jason Wagner (17:16):
Yeah, I mean 26.

Rachel Wagner (17:19):
Yeah, yeah.

Mike Bednarz (17:20):
Yeah.
So yeah, I think everyone kindof said I don't know how many
conversations I've had in mylife where people, oh, you're in
real estate, like teach me, andthen they don't do anything.
Like in this life you have toexecute, like you have to be a
doer.
So I think I just always, oh,real estate was, and then you
know the way I am, like myfitness, the way I eat, my

(17:41):
fitness, the way I eat, the wayI do things is such a
prioritization on making thesacrifices now.
So the future is much betterand rewarding.
And as I got more exposure toreal estate, you know I read 15,
20 books, all those podcasts,everything.
I was just like this is it,this is my plan, like this

(18:07):
financially makes so much sense.
And I just executed the plan.

Rachel Wagner (18:10):
I guess I would say in hindsight, so did you
have like a mentor anybody whokind of like planted the seed
for you, or it was just yourinternal?

Mike Bednarz (18:17):
drive.
Yeah, no, no mentor and likethat you also mentioned.

Rachel Wagner (18:21):
like that, that work ethic to like do the hard
stuff now and like reward later.
Like did that?
Is that like from your dad's?
Like I, my parents are divorced, so he came from a troubled
childhood.

Mike Bednarz (18:40):
Like he was working when he was 13 years old
, always had to help provide forthe table.
So like that's the way mybrother and I grew up.
Like I don't know and I thinkmy brother would say the same I
don't know anyone that works ashard as him, and he would say I

(19:01):
don't know anyone that works ashard as Mike.
Know anyone that works as hardas him and he would say I don't
know anyone that works as hardas Mike.
So we were just we were taughtlike my dad, this is work before
pleasure.
Like you came home you did.
You couldn't play with theneighborhood kids until we did
our homework.
Like it was just like I thinkall those and so much is
involved when you're a kid.

(19:21):
But I've like taken that to adifferent sort of spectrum, more
aggressive and advanced.
So I don't like I think thatcomes from like I just had the
mentality that like I need to dothings I don't want to every
single day.
Like I train every single day.

(19:42):
Like I've missed five days thiswhole year, which is probably
not smart in terms ofquote-unquote gains, but like I,
mentally, the reward I get andfeel from training is way larger
than you know.
I don't really care about how Imean yeah, I care about how I
look, but like that's just aside benefit, like mentally

(20:04):
training is what I need.
So doing like and to that pointI don't want to train every day
, but you see the clothes I'mwearing, like I put on these
sliders and these tight everyday because I'm committing to
training that day, like that'sin my mind, this is making that
I, you know, wake up four or 5amlike an idiot every day.

(20:25):
So like I put this on, I'm likeI have to do that, like that's
on my list, it's getting done.
So I think that's harnishingand developing that mentality.
For the past, with training 10to 15 years, has led to so much
discipline and progression inwork that like since we could

(20:46):
talk about my accent.
But I've had a lot of time toreflect to myself and when I was
in the hospital, like myfamilies, they kept reiterating
like now do you see that youwork too much?
And like now is it?
And like I agreed in that point.
But I've realized now in thepast couple of months that the
only reason I've progressed sowell in my recovery is because I

(21:10):
have that discipline and drive,like I don't want to go to
therapy, I don't want to work, Idon't want to.
You know I don't want to do amillion things, but it's in my
mind and it's already like done.
I'm just like have to.
How do you say like put downthose intrusive thoughts
partially for a second and boom,I'm going, like it's just on my
list, it's done.

Rachel Wagner (21:32):
So can we go into your injury a little bit, your
accident of what happened.

Mike Bednarz (21:35):
Yeah, so my brother and I own the commercial
HVAC company.
So in August 11th 2023, soabout 14, 15 months ago I was
quoting a job and luckily youknow, 99% of the time we work,
we're by ourselves where youknow, we go on a roof, we go on

(21:55):
a ladder, we fix.
You know the situation.
But luckily, there was ageneral contractor there with me
and I was quoting a job, so weworked on extension ladders.
You know the ladders that youpull up and clamp down.
So to this day, I don't knowwhat happened.
I don't choose or want to thinkabout you know what happened,
but I was about 25 feet up onthe ladder and I guess it gave

(22:19):
out and it was.
I was falling and it was aboutto hit the general contractor
and I don't know if this helpedor hurt me, but I pushed it out
of the way and just fell 25 feetonto concrete.

Rachel Wagner (22:30):
You pushed the ladder away.

Mike Bednarz (22:31):
Yeah, every yeah, cause everyone's like, why
didn't you just write it down?
I'm like I have no memory ofthe week before, let alone the
day of.
So I had what they call atraumatic brain injury, which
was my biggest hurdle.
With that, my vestibular systemhas been damaged, I'm legally
blind.
I cracked 11 ribs, broke bonesin my feet, my legs and arms.

(22:56):
So any injury you can think of,I've probably had it.
So the past 14, 15 months I'vehad speech, ot, vision therapy,
driving therapy, physical, allthese different types of
therapies.
So that happened to me.
And at this point you know Idon't like or respect people who

(23:17):
play the victim.
Like to me.
To me, the only way I can getpast this is like I did
something wrong, like I didn't,I did something with the ladder
that wasn't correct, like it'snot, like oh, the wind was
blowing.
Like I did something wrong.
It's on me.
So I've accepted that.
I'm disappointed in myself, butI've accepted that.

(23:37):
And then at this point, you knowI'm like I needed that to
happen, like I was working waytoo fast, doing too much, like
not appreciating my time with myfamily, my girlfriend, my
friends, like, cause I'm alwaysthat long-term mentality is is
to me.
It's, it's partially damagingbecause, like you know, my

(24:02):
girlfriend and I are havingdinner and like I'm just
thinking, oh, like we're goingto be done, and I'm going to
send this email and I'm going todo it, and it's just like I'm
not present and like I'm not.
I'm not an expert now, by no, byno reason, but I am like more
present in my life, you know,and that's like truly a blessing
.
Unfortunately, you don'trealize how fragile and short it

(24:26):
all is until something negativehappens to you.
And I was fortunate enough thatthat happened to me when I was
32 years old and, like I'vechanged my outlook, but thank
God for the business and thereal estate, because I had put
down those fundamentals where,financially, like I'm fine, you
know I'm going to be fine, I'mstill executing the plan.

(24:49):
So I like to say, you know,with my fitness, with the
veganism, with the real estate,the business, like I had
prepared 32 years for thismoment and you know, I'm
succeeding now because of what Idid in the past.
So, like my mentality's lockedand I'm gonna keep, keep going
and keep pushing this is what Iwas talking about the mentality

(25:10):
of a champion like dude, I'venever.

Jason Wagner (25:13):
I've never heard of anybody that has done so much
in a short period of time andhas had such a traumatic injury
happen to them.
And he gets up and says I don'tplay the victim card, you know
it was my fault with the ladderand like continues to push
forward and that wasn't thatlong.

Mike Bednarz (25:31):
I mean 14 months ago, like that's not that long
ago yeah, I've had, uh, prettymuch every neurologist, doctor,
therapist I see is they're justlike in awe aware on that and
what I've done you.
I forgot that there's some sortof scale where when you go and
I went to the icu job was inhomewood, illinois, so I was at

(25:52):
christ hospital on the southside when you come into the icu
they rank you.
I believe it's three tothirteen, meaning three is like
your brain dead and 13, you walkout of here just fine and I got
ranked a five.
So like they told my familythis and they still bring it up

(26:14):
to this day that they inquiredwith the doctor more information
out this and all this guy saidwas we don't see too many fives
walk out of here.
So you know that was verygetting emotional thinking about
the way I affected my familyand loved ones.
So that was very challenging forthem because they didn't know.

(26:37):
You know I was going to.
They don't know is like Mike'sgoing to come out.
He might be a different person,he might not remember who you
are, you might not know anythingand you know real estate story.
The first thing I was I had amedium term rental that was
expiring around that day and thefirst thing I woke up and said
I was like did Sharnavi move out?

(26:57):
So they're like he's back, he'sback.

Rachel Wagner (27:02):
He's still in there.

Mike Bednarz (27:03):
Yeah.
So I like to attribute mysuccess from up until that point
, because I'm so healthconscious whole food,
plant-based vegan, no processed,like all that stuff so I like

(27:24):
to I don't want to toot my ownhorn, I guess you would say, but
I like to think that, like, thereason I've done so well and
survived is because of that.
You know, maybe it's true,maybe it's not, but I do kind of
believe that and that's why Icontinue to act and you know,
with the habits I do, and I tryto influence as many people as I

(27:48):
can in regards to that.

Rachel Wagner (27:50):
I think that makes a lot of sense.
I haven't really ever heardanybody put it that way, but
it's like you had such a strongfoundation of health and strong
mental acuity and so going intothat accident, you were going to
rebound so much better thansomebody who wasn't already
training and eating healthy andhad strong mental mindset Right.
Like that makes a lot of sense.

Jason Wagner (28:08):
That's a lot of reason to do that and practice
that.
Yeah, totally Well.
It's just like anybody thatdoes go into.
Like if you have surgery orsomething, somebody tears like
an ACL in their knee orsomething it's.
It's always like the, thepeople that are usually the
athletes or just more fit anddisciplined, that are going to
like probably recover from thatinjury better than somebody who

(28:30):
is not right, and they, you know, they sit at a desk all day and
they don't work out and theydon't take care of themselves.
It just, it just seems likehaving these types of
disciplines and putting it intoyour everyday practice for for
the unexpected.
It's almost like saving for arainy day fund type thing.
It's like you're preparing yourbody for something that could

(28:52):
happen in the future.
You don't know if it will, butit could happen in the future
and I just love like you havethe discipline to do that and
you've done it every single day.
You've only missed five daysthis year.
We just got into that.
I mean, I've totally tappedinto that.
Working out every single day issuch a superpower.
But let's see, when did westart?
2021.

Rachel Wagner (29:13):
Yeah, it's only been three years.

Jason Wagner (29:15):
Yeah, so we, we've been doing it for about three
years and but but I recognize itis.
It is tapping into a superpowerIf you can be disciplined and
you wake up.
You know you called it silly,waking up at 4.30, 5 o'clock
every day, but that's what I do,yeah, that makes two of us.
Yeah, you know, it's like you doit early, you get it done and
then you've got the rest of theday to take on the remaining

(29:38):
tasks and you're already sharpand you're ready to go.
And a lot of people kind of getto the point where like, ah, I
don't want to drag on throughoutthe entire day because I wake
up early, but actually once youdo it over and over again, you
actually your energy, like youhave endurance right, and you
don't really get tired.

Mike Bednarz (29:54):
I would imagine that you don't really get tired
until like into the late in theevening right, yeah, but I crash
like late into the but thenthis is like 10, 11 PM, you know
.
But.
But I mean this is like 10, 11pm, you know.
But my girlfriend and I, youknow you say F words where we
have the D word and the D wordis discipline, like so much, and
everything I'm trying toarticulate now all comes back to

(30:14):
discipline.
It's consciously choosing to dosomething that, like you don't
necessarily want to do but likeit's going to get done.
You know you have to do it.
Like most of the time when Itrain I'm like tired, I have
paperwork, all this stuff, butlike it, you know, I put on the
sliders in the morning, it'sdone, I'm already getting it

(30:34):
done yeah, dude, that's it's sogood, it's so good, all right,
so what is the like?

Jason Wagner (30:43):
so?
So what happened?
So is your girlfriend a vegantoo?

Mike Bednarz (30:46):
She, I would say 98%.
She was a vegetarian before wemet and now she's a vegan, and
now she's vegan, yeah.

Jason Wagner (30:55):
Yeah, yeah.
Do you try to influence othersto become vegans, or is it just
kind of like this is what I doand like you know what's what's
kind of the the thought processthere a little bit?

Mike Bednarz (31:06):
I actually have struggled this, struggled with
this throughout the past 10years, because I articulate
these types of thoughts becauseI care about the people in my
life.
So I see my brother eating acheeseburger and beer.
I I'm like yo, what are youdoing?
And like to him it's probablysuper annoying and I get that,

(31:29):
but in my mind my sole goal islike hit in this example, his
health and his longevity.
So, like every time you know,when you get free, he's like oh,
I didn't get the fries becauseI was thinking about you.
Like check, I won, you know.
Know, like selfishly I won.
Like my annoyance is what Ibelieve to be positively

(31:50):
impacted someone I care and loveabout I love.
So, like people in you know mylife at this point, like I don't
drink alcohol either, I haven'thad a sip in I think, six,
seven years.
That's years.
That's another like, so it's.
I'm such an anomaly, right,like most of my friends, like I

(32:12):
love them to death, but on theweekends they're going out and
having drinks and doing stufflike that and that's just not me
.
And that's been challengingpersonally, because it's harder
to relate to people that don'thave the same characteristics
and not to say one is right orone is wrong.

(32:32):
This is just what I believe into my core.
So I am going to attempt andmaybe annoying, but attempt to
positively what I believe impactthe people around me.
But attempt to positively whatI believe impact the people
around me.
My mom had been on bloodpressure regulation medicine for
30, 40 years.

(32:53):
The doctor said, hey, this ishereditary.
Like you can't do anythingabout it.
So when I began my veganjourney I was like mom, just try
this.
Like, please, she's no, no,it's not going to work.
That's voodoo.
Like I'm like just just trythis.
Like, please, she's no, no,it's not going to work.
That's voodoo.
Like I'm like, just try this,please.
So eventually got her to try itscale back her medicine 50%,
regularly testing her bloodpressure.

(33:14):
Perfect, just in line About sixmonths of doing that, we got
her off the blood pressuremedication completely and
exhibiting a vegan diet and herblood pressure has never been
better.
And this was seven or eightyears ago.
So once I see, like that, thatthat's my mom, like I'm going to
die for that woman.

(33:34):
So like, like what I umemphasized her to do, like work
to a core.
So I just see these types ofexamples and I'm like you know
I'm doing a disservice by notsharing my knowledge to the

(33:54):
people I love and care about.
In regards to that, I love it.

Jason Wagner (34:00):
The guy loves to share.
Yeah, I try.
The thing that I know andthat's why I wanted you to come
on, because you got such a greatstory, man and the thing that I
I always like get kind of upsetabout with with some really
successful people or people thathave found things that work for
them, is that they keep itinternal and they don't really

(34:20):
share it with the world.
Because I feel like a lot ofthese are kind of secrets, you
know, and they're they're notcomplex, but they're just
they're like discipline secrets,and I feel like we need to hear
more of these stories of peoplethat have hey, this is what
I've been doing every single dayfor the last so many years and

(34:42):
it's actually really benefitedme, and like we just need to
hear some of these stories andlike for me to be well, could we
ever go vegan?

Rachel Wagner (34:51):
We've talked about this a lot.
Actually, you know I'm.
The whole thing is like youknow I'm, I'm.

Jason Wagner (34:56):
Uh, the whole thing is like.
You know, I eat a lot ofprotein and I feel like meat has
the protein, chicken has theprotein, right, oh, what do you
like?
What's your combat to, bro?
You don't need so much protein.
Or like what's the I'm?

Mike Bednarz (35:14):
always curious Like why do you feel like you
need so much protein?
Or like what's the?
I'm always curious like why doyou feel like you need so much
protein?
Because you grew up onbodybuildingcom and it said like
I mean maybe protein, yeah,maybe, I think so probably like
it's like your weight, like yeahyeah, and it keeps me full.

Jason Wagner (35:29):
You know, I take, I have a protein shake every day
too, and a lot of that isplacebo in the mind though.

Mike Bednarz (35:34):
So I fast as well.
I we eat one meal.
That one meal is like insane,like a lot of stuff, but I'll
fast for every day, depending onwork, typically, you know, 20
ish hours, and I just pack,which may or may not be the
healthiest thing to do, becauseI have, like I would guess you
know, I don know two to fourthousand calories in like a

(35:57):
small window, but I'mconstricting myself of these
desires I have.
And then when I'm just like, ohmy God, this is, I'm so happy,

(36:24):
this is amazing.
You know, you get a dopaminerush, all these positive brain
effects.
So, like, fasting is anotherthing.
Like, as a diabetic, everysingle doctor I have says don't
fast, don't fast, don't do this,you know.
But I've chosen to experimentwith my body and I've realized,

(36:44):
like the, the longevity benefitswith that are certainly there.
But like this, I'm likeobsessed with that D word
discipline, like this justcreates.
Like I see people going intoMcDonald's and not 10, 9, 10.
I'm like what are you doing?
Like, do you have it in otheraspects of life?
Like, how are you just givingup like this?

(37:05):
So I think, with with thefasting, that helps tremendously
to create if that's somethingthat you want, that like level
of discipline, you know, becauseyou're just not giving yourself
what you want, you know, andit's very hard, trust me.
I used to like, look at theclock, oh, I've been at it for

(37:26):
16, 20, 16 hours and 23 minutes,like I.
But now it's just like I'm justbooming work, real estate,
working out that like sometimesI get home and I'm like, oh shit
, I haven't ate for 26 hours,like nice, and I'll usually have
, like you know, two workouts.
Now that I'm not on job sites,I usually train twice a day like

(37:48):
an animal.

Jason Wagner (37:49):
Dude, this guy's been doing 75 hard like his
entire life and just hasn'treally realized that he was
doing the program.

Rachel Wagner (37:55):
Right Cause you've never done that.

Mike Bednarz (37:56):
No, I never heard about it until you, yeah, but it
was basically your entire life.

Rachel Wagner (38:03):
Yeah, yeah.

Jason Wagner (38:05):
Um, but yeah, no, it's, it's.
It's two 45 minute workouts perday.
One of them has to be outside.
You got to drink a gallon ofwater, which you brought a giant
half gallon water with me likewe're, we're again, we're
brothers, we're like the same.
Yeah, I was like oh anotherparallel yeah, you gotta follow
a diet.
Obviously you've got thatchecked um.
You have to read a book.

(38:25):
You have to read 10 pages of abook and okay big reader.
See, already pretty easy for youto do on that.
What's the other thing?
Oh, progress picture.
Yeah, take a picture ofyourself every day.
That is probably where it mightget you.
But you've got the disciplineto to know.
Hey, if I, you know, I got todo this every single day for the
next 75 days.
I mean, you basically have donethe program yeah, maybe I'll

(38:48):
try it.

Mike Bednarz (38:49):
Then the easy accomplishment january 1st.

Rachel Wagner (38:52):
January 1st is probably when I'll start again
so you mentioned you haven't hada sip of alcohol for six or
seven years.

Jason Wagner (38:58):
That was another thing, right?
That's the other part.
You can't have alcohol.

Rachel Wagner (39:02):
Yeah, poison.

Mike Bednarz (39:04):
By the way, I know it's just ingrained in culture
and it's very sad to me.
I grew up in a family ofalcoholics, so I've been exposed
to some not the best, but stillstill I drank in high school
every weekend, college everyweekend.
And then it's like, why am Idoing this?
Like I don't need what issociety like?

(39:25):
I don't need to do this to haveenjoyment per se and engagement
socializations.
So, like, stepping out of thathurdle is challenging from a
social perspective, but I thinkyou need to be around very
like-minded individuals if youdecide to pursue that route,

(39:45):
because, like, even just havingyou know wine at the house, I'm
going to come home, I'm going tosee the wine, I'm going to grab
the wine.
You know I'm a human being.
But, like you, you need to bearound people that aren't like
that and are trying to achievewhat you want to achieve and
then also not have those thingsin your household.
Like it all starts at the, atthe grocery store, to be honest,

(40:08):
like I would love, like there'svegan ice cream and if I
haven't, like I'm going for it.
You know I'm going for it, butlike I don't buy that
purposefully because then I'lljust go for it so do you eat any
treats?
yeah, my girlfriend, she'sreally good at, you know, baking
and cooking and trying veganstuff, so what?

(40:30):
But it's interesting.
I think that your palateadjusts tremendously over time.
So, like I'll see people likeI'll have, you know, a vegan
cookie that's made with likealmond flour, like a couple of
dates and like bananas, and I'llbe like, oh my God, this is
amazing.
And then someone who's not avegan will eat and be like, oh,

(40:53):
this sucks, what do you mean?
This is amazing.
So, like it's the the with allthe previous points we've been
saying, like you know, trainingyour body, training your mind,
like training your mouth andpalate, like what I think is
amazing.
You know people don't think isamazing.
And I'm sure if I ate like aReese's or I'd be like yo, this

(41:17):
is like killing my teeth rightnow, like how do you eat this?
But yeah, I try to.
Like my family and girlfriendwill say I don't like have
enjoyment in that regardsbecause I'm so how do you say
regimented.
But like the diabetes plays abig role into that, because if I
do have somethingunconventional, like my numbers

(41:37):
will see it.
But I do find enjoyment in whatI do and enjoyment is different
to every single person and I'vehad the, as I mentioned, the
challenge of like relating topeople, because this is, you
know, a bit of an anomaly, adifference, but like having that
, that I guess you would saydiscipline again to to choose to

(41:59):
eat.
In regards to that way, it'sjust like it's the only way.
To me, you know it's, it's theonly way, like I survived.
What I did, work, you know, Imade it so you were diagnosed
type 1 diabetic.

Jason Wagner (42:13):
Was that like at birth or?

Mike Bednarz (42:15):
I was was 11, 12 years old, I think I was in like
sixth or seventh grade, maybearound there.
So not at birth, it's ahereditary.
That's why, like diabetes youhear in the media all the time
but that's primarily in regardsto type 2 diabetes, which you
can control in terms of diet,regulate, you know all these
things you typically just havesome sort of blockage on your

(42:38):
pancreas so your cells can't getthe insulin, typically because
you're overweight or something.
So type one is completelydifferent.
My pancreas shut down.
So I have right now they havecrazy technologies.
I have what's called the CGMcontinuous glucose monitor
plugged into me that tells meabout my blood sugar Not always
accurate, but it helps and thenI also have an insulin pump.

(43:00):
So throughout the day and everytime I eat, like I need to
manually inject insulin.
So when I was first diagnosed,this was like literally a vial
and a syringe and you're pullingup the insulin.
And then they had pens, whichis like a little cap on a
smaller device, and then theyhad insulin pumps, which is like
a little cap on a smallerdevice, and then they had
insulin pumps.
So, like the technology, thetechnology is certainly there,

(43:21):
but I was having thisconversation with my girlfriend
the other day, like she thinksthat, like diabetes, is so
challenging.
It's 24, seven it's.
I'm literally trying toreplicate.
You know what a human organ isdoing and it's very hard because
everything affects it yourstress level, the lights, what
you eat.
You know what an a human organis doing and it's very hard
because everything affects ityour stress level, the lights,
what you wait.
You know drink, everythingreally the lights like sunlight,

(43:44):
everything like it's.
It's everything, not so muchthese artificial lights, but
sunlight drastically.
Me personally affects me likeif we were just had a vacation a
couple weeks ago.
Like if I get sunburn or toomuch sun exposure, boom, my
blood sugar spikes because yourbody, it's a foreign agent, it
dumps cortisol, so then you knowsugar in there, like your body

(44:09):
fight or flight mode, so you'rejust, it's just hard to navigate
things.
You don't even think about that, like I believed has hard to
navigate things.
You don't even think about that, like I believed has helped me
achieve a more grateful mindsetbecause, like our bodies are
amazing, like it's literallyamazing and I've seen this so
much with my injury too like theamount that we as human beings

(44:31):
take for granted, it's just likeembarrassing.
Like just embarrassing I, Idon't, like I used to.
You know we're sitting down inchairs.
Right now I'll get up and I'lllike partially lose my balance.
Before I couldn't even get upbecause my vestibular situation,
my vestibular system from myaccident was so damaged.
But that's something you don'teven think about, like you

(44:52):
literally don't even think aboutuntil something negative
happens to you.
So this is all in regards tolike I I feel like I know like
too much about what the body andwhat the body does, without us
even having a conscious thoughtabout it.
That, like you have to treat itright, you just have to take
care of it.

Jason Wagner (45:12):
It's the only option do you put a lot of
priority into your sleep or likeany other things, cold plunges
or saunas or any types of uh,the red light therapy the more
popular things that are kind ofhot right now?

Mike Bednarz (45:28):
I've experienced with them cryotherapy.
I try to do a cold shower, likefinish my shower every day with
cold Like.
To me that's more of like amental thing.
You know, I don't know how.
I've seen, read, seen some ofthe research and it's kind of
hit or miss.
But it could be very good fordopamine and everything.
But that's more of the thingslike I don't want to do this,

(45:49):
like I'm going to do it and thenafter, like I'm going to be
present with Maddie, we're goingto have food, like it's going
to be great, and it just createsthat sort of mindset.
As far as sleep, I used to be inthe mindset in high school and
go, oh, you sleep when you'redead.
Like no sleep is everything youwant to be healthy like
prioritize sleep.
I read this book called why weSleep.

(46:11):
Same was doctor I'm forgettinghis name, but it was just like
exposed me to this differentviewpoint on what your body does
during sleep and how necessaryit is.
So like I've always struggledwith sleeping.
I shoot for seven hours everynight and doesn't always happen,

(46:32):
and because of the diabetes, Ifrequently get woken up a couple
times throughout the night.
So that's damaging to mementally because I know how much
that that hurts, but I wouldhighly recommend everyone, like
whether you care about fitness,general health, longevity, like
you need to sleep, that's,that's everything you go to bed

(46:53):
at a specific time every nightyeah, one of the things I
learned from this book was theimportance of a wind down
routine.
so we talked about reading.
Like you know, we'll usuallywatch some shows, some tv, like
while we eat, but then afterthat we try to read and then
that kind of winds your bodydown because it's just like you
know you wake up, you'resluggish, you're lethargic, it's

(47:15):
just like going to sleep, likeyou can't be in this high state
of mindset or activity and thenjust expect to fall asleep.
So we do have a little bit of awind down routine.
I'm a big meditator.
I try to meditate.
I'm not that good at it per sein terms of the action of doing
it and the schedule, but I tryto do it every single day.

(47:37):
So in an ideal world, you know,9, 30, 10, we'll start the wind
down routine, get some readingin, some meditation, some
breathing and things like that,and to me and I understand it
may not work for everyone, butfrom my personal experience it's
helped tremendously.

Jason Wagner (47:55):
Since your accident, there's obviously,
obviously there's a lot fromwithin.
Have you grown closer inanything spiritually that you
can kind of talk about, or doyou subscribe to anything that's
more spiritual?

Mike Bednarz (48:07):
It's a hard question for me.
I grew up technically as like aCatholic, but religion was
never a high priority in myupbringing, so I've never had
those sorts of thoughts and Isee so much like it's very hard
for me, like I would like tothink I'm a solidly good human

(48:31):
being.
And this happened to me.
Or the three year old that hascancer and may or may not make
it like how do you justify thosesorts of things that happen
every day in life?
I wouldn't even know how tocommunicate these thoughts Like

(48:55):
not that I'm on, it's so much tome is in your mind and in
yourself.
You know if that's what, if youneed something spiritual to get
you to a good place, I'm 100% insupport of it, whatever it
takes for you.
But you need to do the internalreflection and soul searching
to find out what exactly that isand then just execute it.

(49:18):
You know I'm a big proponentlike you.
Just gotta execute in this life.
You just gotta do what makesyou feel good and what's good
for the long term and whatnot.
So I guess, in summation, likeme personally I don't some of
the meditation is really nice tojust like slow down and breathe

(49:39):
and and exhale and like feelsomething else, but that's the
the closest I've ever felt tosomething like that yeah, yeah,
you're just kind of getting alot more presence with like with
yourself and when you're in themoments and yeah, yeah, no, I,
you know I respect that.

Jason Wagner (49:56):
What else you got?

Rachel Wagner (49:58):
well, I was going to ask you you, you've already
accomplished so much in manydifferent areas in your life so
far.
What, what type of goals orvision do you have for the
future?
You kind of mentioned you couldretire, but you don't think
that you will.
What's on your vision board?

Mike Bednarz (50:13):
definitely kind of have one.
But to take a step back likethat's like you know I I to your
first point that you made.
Like when I take a step backand reflect like, yeah, I'm
killing it, but I can't havethat mindset like to me, I, I
could always do more.
I could always do more.

(50:34):
You know my brother and I havethese conversations a lot.
You know we have our best yearand I just got a big account a
couple of weeks ago and I didn'ttell him about it.
He's like what are you doing,dude?
I'm just, I can't stop and youknow it's.
I'm getting to the point where Idon't want to say it's like
unhealthy.
But I need to kind of reconcilewith myself and see like where

(50:58):
I want to personally go, becauseit's going to be a very hard
challenge for me mentally tostop and slow down because I'm
always go, go, go, go.
But bigger, larger goals isthat now that I'm out of the
field?
I really want to get my brotherout of the field like being a
technician.

(51:18):
He's on the job site everysingle day.
I want to get like what theycall in the industry a sales
manager that would like manageour guys and we're just him and
I just step in when we need.
It's very hard relinquishingthat trust, though, like it's
it's extremely hard.
Like these accounts, these areour babies.
It's even hard like trustingemployees to do stuff they're

(51:39):
like why is this person going todo it when I could just do it
in half the time?

Jason Wagner (51:42):
Um, so yeah, I was going to say you, you probably
do struggle with that, which alot of entrepreneurs struggle
with.
That, too, is relinquishingresponsibility and and whatnot.
Yeah, and control.
Yeah, I do want to ask you morequestions about like scaling
and and what do you think howcan you continue to grow your
business or what are some of thebottlenecks that you really

(52:02):
have, that you think that youcan implement some some
different things in the futureto to make your life a little
bit easier on some of that?

Mike Bednarz (52:09):
The biggest thing with that is we both, him and I,
need to come to terms that wecannot and should do everything
which is it's very, very hard todo.
So that's currently where, andhe just had the baby.
So I want to give him more morepresence with with that.

(52:31):
So our biggest thing, I mean Iread the book who, not how.
That one hit me pretty hard andit's great, but it's just like
it's hard.
You know, it's really hard.
Especially we grew.
I literally did.
You know I, last Friday I was,I had a tenant but she had a bad

(53:00):
toilet.
I had to go change, I had to gofix her toilet.
It's like, and then I don'ttell my brother he's like, what
are you doing?
Like you know I could.
I need to realize that, like,had I been working on you know
the business and growing thebusiness, I could have made, you
know us, two, three $400 anhour.
But I'm changing a toilet whereI could have charged a plumber.

(53:24):
It costs me, you know, ahundred bucks an hour.
So it's it's very, it's very mepersonally mentally challenging
to do that.
I want, that's my biggest goal.
Looking forward is to do thatand then just keep scaling up
the real estate, because I thinkthat that is our true his
family and my family, likethat's my brother, that that's

(53:47):
our way, you know out, and ourway to have a nice cashflow and
still live the life that we live, while hopefully not knock on
wood like not working nearly ashard as we are.

Jason Wagner (54:00):
Hell yeah, hell yeah, man.
Real estate's the ticket, it'sthe retirement, it's the
retirement strategy for us, doyou think?

Rachel Wagner (54:09):
you'll stick with the mixed use investments or
will you go full-blowncommercial and will you stay
just in this area or will youbranch?

Mike Bednarz (54:16):
out to other markets?
Yeah, so, as far as the area,I've definitely built my
portfolio in Edison and NorwoodPark because I self-manage and
do everything like that.
It's just tremendously easier.
Every time I go, I can ride mybike or walk to a building and
get eyes to something or fixsomething.
I go, I can ride my bike orwalk to a building and, you know
, get eyes to something or fixsomething.
So I definitely see thebenefits of keeping things

(54:41):
confined in that area.
Once I, if I do ever get to apoint with like massive scale,
I'll have to branch out.
Like I am partners with twoother guys but that's in Portage
Park and that's amazing.
Like I don't do anything.
You know he just handleseverything.
I love those investments.
So that's kind of the goal interms of the real estate

(55:05):
portfolio.
As far as the mixed uses, I'mdefinitely not like that's kind
of the little niche that I've,you know, not on purpose built,
but that's kind of what hashappened with what's been
provided to me and what I'veseen.
I'm not married to them.
I do eventually want to.
You know 1031, the downtownEdison park property, the mixed

(55:28):
use, two unit into a you know alarger apartment building, but
it's, you know.
Now it's I haven't.
I I'm actively looking everyday, like you know.
It's just if I see somethingI'm going to go for it.
You know, I'll figure it out.

Jason Wagner (55:45):
You mentioned the midterm rental does extremely
well for you and I can.
I can also second that is thatwe went a whole year and we
didn't have any vacancy and wehad we'd probably changed out
five or six different people.
Is that probably like prettysimilar to what your story was
too?

Mike Bednarz (56:02):
Yeah, yeah, I I started the actually in eight,
so it's been about a year and ahalf because Maddie and I we
lived in the garden apartment,or I did, and then she moved in
and we moved up to the firstfloor, so at that point it would
have been April 2023.
I started doing the medium termrental and I've gotten a wide

(56:24):
variety of people.
Like that furnish finder wespoke about is catered towards
people working in the medicalindustry, traveling nurses,
things like that but I've gotten, you know, my best tenant was a
mom whose daughter lived inedison park and she's from
pennsylvania and she stayed likeeight months and she was
amazing, like yeah, treated theproperty like it's her own.

(56:45):
That's another thing.
Like with you know, you thinkairbnb, vrbo, like you can
probably, if you're very active,get maybe a slightly higher
cash flow, but people that comeinto those don't typically treat
your property like it's theirhome and there's a value to that
.
I certainly believe there's avalue to that.

(57:07):
So I've been, knock on wood,very blessed with the tenants
that I've had in terms of themedium term rental and I'm
living above them, so I seeeverything.
But, they're just going in andout to work every day, like you
know, maybe experiencing thecity, checking things out, but
they're they're great tenants,they're great people.

Jason Wagner (57:24):
They just want a place to live how much of a
premium do you think it iscompared to long term?

Mike Bednarz (57:29):
percent wise or even just dollar wise yeah, so
with the one bedroom garden inEdison Park I could probably,
with the finishes we have, getaround $1,300 a month.
It is a garden, but it's a niceyou know?

Jason Wagner (57:50):
Yeah, I would definitely say that.

Mike Bednarz (57:51):
And I've had zero.
Probably need to reflect onthis and maybe go a little
higher, but I've had 0% vacancyat $2,000 a month.

Jason Wagner (58:00):
For sure, yep.

Mike Bednarz (58:00):
And these were all my old, like I just use this
couch and this bed for, you know, two, three years when I was
living down there.
I'm like what am I just goingto sit in storage?
I'm going to try this out andyou know, I tried it and it
worked.
Yeah it's working so yeah forsure.

Jason Wagner (58:14):
So yeah, so like 700 bucks too.
My experience on it is we havea thousand dollar premium.
We have a two-bed, one-bathgarden garden apartment and yeah
, we were at, we were at 1600 amonth long term and then we
bumped it up to 2600 for themidterm and it's and it's people
it's being rented you know, thefunny.
Here's the thing.

(58:35):
You've probably seen some ofthis too.

Mike Bednarz (58:36):
How did you guys furnish it?

Jason Wagner (58:38):
Like through Amazon.

Rachel Wagner (58:39):
Yeah, right, Most of it, yeah so we had a tenant
who moved out.
She was a long-term tenant whomoved out and was moving like
across the country, and so sheactually sold some of her stuff
that was already there for us,which was nice whole bedroom
that way and even part of theliving room and then everything
else in the entire kitchen.
Yeah, we bought all of herkitchen supplies which is
amazing.
It's like a great a great setup.

Mike Bednarz (59:00):
yeah, are you guys familiar with or have you
encountered anyone that isexperienced what they call it
rental arbitrage, where, like,you'll get a long-term lease and
then they, in turn that tenant,will then rent it out as a
short-term rental?

Jason Wagner (59:16):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
So I know of people that havedone that, but why Are you?

Mike Bednarz (59:23):
No, no, I just like think, because so many
people in my life are like yo,how do you do what you do?
Real estate, and I'm like youknow this idea is very
interesting to me.
If you find the right property,the right landlord that doesn't
want to matter, you can collecta healthy spread and it's a way
to maybe get a little extracash and afford a down payment.

Jason Wagner (59:43):
Yeah, so I did arbitrage, but not from the
perspective of property.

Rachel Wagner (59:48):
I was going to bring this up too.

Jason Wagner (59:49):
Yeah, so right before the and this is a
brilliant idea and I don't knowwhy I haven't gone back to it,
because it was working reallyquite well.
And so I went and dude, I wenton Craigslist and every day I
would just check Craigslist andI would look for parking spaces
that were on a business corridorand like off of Milwaukee or

(01:00:13):
just any off of any busy, busyroad that had shops around it
and like people would rent theirlittle.
You know, it'd be in a condobuilding and somebody was
renting their one spot for like$75 to $100.
And so what I would do is thatI would sign a month-to-month
lease with them.
I'd never meet the person, I'mjust an inquiry from Craigslist,

(01:00:36):
but I would get them to sign amonth-to-month lease and then I
would put it up on Spot Hero andParkWiz, so it's like the
airbnb and vrbo.
But yeah, it's just like peoplewould then rent those spaces
and I would go and drive by thespace, I'd take a couple
pictures of the space, you know,put the description of how to
get there and the person thatwas always renting it to me.

(01:01:00):
Sometimes they would ask hey,you know, what vehicle do you
drive?
And I would tell them thevehicle that I drive, but I didn
would tell them the vehiclethat I drive, but I didn't tell
them the vehicle that was goingto be parking there, because
most of the time, the leaseswere just handshake agreements.
There was nothing in stone.
If they ever sent me like acontract that said this is the
only vehicle that can be parkedthere, then you know, then it

(01:01:21):
wasn't going to work and Iwouldn't, and I wouldn't do it.
But anyways, I ended up gettingto the point where I had like
12 parking spaces and I wasmaking at least a hundred bucks
a month on each one.
It was really fun and and thiswas kind of- this was pre COVID.
And then COVID hit andeverybody stopped driving and

(01:01:42):
I'm like oh no, at least you'reon just month leases.

Mike Bednarz (01:01:46):
Oh, I know, and yeah, that was.

Jason Wagner (01:01:47):
The brilliance of it is that I didn't have these.
You know, I wasn't stuck on a12 month lease.
It was like I could try it fora couple of months and the
investment was $100, right, itwasn't that big of a risk and
and I could accumulate thesespaces actually relatively
quickly.
And uh, but yeah, that's theidea, it's the rental arbitrage.
You sign a long-term lease andthen you do the short-term to

(01:02:08):
capture really the market upsideon that part and I don't know
why I haven't gone back to that,but it was it was just like the
one thing in the world whereeverybody stops driving is COVID
.
And then it just kind of killedmy mojo on, like wanting to go
after that again.

Mike Bednarz (01:02:25):
So see, like, as you're sharing that story, like
people look at you now you'relike, oh, you're so successful,
you're so lucky.
Like they don't hear about thisstory.
Like, how did you get here?
You work, you put your headdown and work.
You thought that's an to me, aninnovative idea and you
executed it and you got a, youknow, maybe 12, a thousand bucks
a month.

(01:02:45):
Like, yeah, that's huge.
You know people like they, theywant the easy route.
You know, like, how you gonnado it.
Like, at the end of the day, tome, all of this is two things
it's discipline and hard work.
That that's all it is.
You can get whatever you wantin life with discipline and hard
work.

Jason Wagner (01:03:04):
Yeah, and it's taking a little risk too right.

Mike Bednarz (01:03:07):
But it's more of a calculated risk.

Jason Wagner (01:03:09):
You said, you're a very numbers-driven guy and
once you see the risk amount andwhat the potential is, then it
kind of makes a lot more senseand the risk is a lot easier to
swallow.

Mike Bednarz (01:03:20):
Oh, yeah, but with that said, every single deal
I've closed or like biggerinvestment I've made, I still
have anxiety, you know, are youstill freaking out?
Like you're still, but you justlearn.
Like, you learn to put thosethoughts aside and like I'm the
type of person, like I'm gonnafigure it out.

(01:03:42):
You know that.
That that's all that, matt.
Like I just had an issue atPratt a leaking pipe was leaking
in one of my commercial tenants, but like it's unfortunate, you
know, but I'm gonna figure itout and I'm gonna speaking with
the tenant now and how, you know, I can rectify the situation
because I want to make him whole.
You know, his carpet got ruined, so you just have to have that

(01:04:05):
mental like everyone's going toget a curve ball in every single
aspect of life.
There are many curve balls.

Jason Wagner (01:04:13):
And I want to.
I want to talk on this.
So your investment company iscalled WIT properties, right?

Mike Bednarz (01:04:19):
Oh yeah.

Jason Wagner (01:04:19):
Yeah, what is WIT?
What does that stand for?

Mike Bednarz (01:04:22):
I think you've said it a few times today, 20,
30 years.
I wanted that name to be areminder of like where I came

(01:04:45):
from and especially with youknow my accident and recovery
and the things I deal with inlife.
Like you could play the victim,you can complain, but
ultimately you got to put yourhead down and do whatever it
takes.
You know that that's, I believethat, to a core like that's who
I am and that's why I named theLLCc wit properties yeah, dude,

(01:05:05):
I fucking love that.

Jason Wagner (01:05:07):
There's another one that you uh, what is it?
Someone, some or some don't.
What's right, is that the other?

Mike Bednarz (01:05:12):
one someone and some don't someone yeah yeah, I
I jokingly say that to people inmy life when we're working out
and they're struggling, and Ijust scream out like someone and
some don't, and then they get alittle extra push dude.

Jason Wagner (01:05:25):
I, rachel, I have to tell you about okay.
So mike and I we did a workoutright.
So okay, two guys that work outevery single day.
But I will tell you, mikekicked my ass.
I think I kicked him.
He's like, hey, we're gonna dosome pull-ups and I'm like, oh,
you would have done.
I'm gonna smoke you in theprops but then he's like yeah,
but then we to do?
What do they call it?

(01:05:45):
The ski rig, ski erg, the skierg.
What's that Describe?

Mike Bednarz (01:05:50):
it?
How would you say?
It's kind of like the rowermachine, in a sense that you
have a chain and you havetension, but the poles are up
top.
You're on a how do you say,long-term ski?
What do they do Like ski?
So, it's a cardiovascularactivity, but it's not just like
running, like you're usingmuscles and stuff.
Oh yeah, I just moved it toPratt this morning so you guys

(01:06:13):
can come by.

Jason Wagner (01:06:15):
I don't even want to touch that thing, man.
Yeah, all right, so we did, wedid the skier workout and he's
like we're going to do the skierand then you're going to do
some kettlebell swings and we'rejust going to go back and forth
on this.
And you said the meters and Iwas like, all right, I don't
really know how far we're going,but all right, sounds good,
lock and loaded, dude.

(01:06:37):
So we were trying to do, Ithink, probably what 90 seconds
apiece in the skier, where youjust kept going as hard as you
can for 90 seconds apiece andlike, all right, you know, the
first couple of times you'relike, all right, I can do this,
like like yeah, and then and hejust blows me out of the water
and no longer can I do thekettlebell swings, but I'm like
I'm like dying over my knees.
Because here's the problem withme is that I haven't done any

(01:06:59):
cardio in a long time.

Mike Bednarz (01:07:00):
All I do yeah.

Jason Wagner (01:07:06):
All I do is work on the heart.
Yeah, that's and that's.
I was talking with Rachel aboutthis the other day and that's
just like a big hole that'smissing in my, in my fitness
regimen and it's just like, dude, I need to need to focus on my
cardio.
But you really exposed it andyou really kicked my ass and so
but it was, it was, let's see,we worked out probably at like
9am that day and then, dude, Iwas like, I was like smoked the
rest of the day, I couldn't doshit.
I couldn't do shit.

Rachel Wagner (01:07:25):
It's true.
He came home and he's like Ithink my lungs are bleeding.

Mike Bednarz (01:07:28):
He said that too, and I was like, yeah, this guy's
pretty jacked, but I wantsomething in his lungs.

Rachel Wagner (01:07:33):
I think he took a nap.
Yeah, exactly.

Mike Bednarz (01:07:49):
Like he was really .
It's like it's those types oflifts because they're very
humbling.
No matter how hard I work everyday, when I like get to that
component of the workout, I'mgassed Like.
I'm like how do I'm gassed,like it's a different level and
then it just like makes youthink like I have so much to
work on.
You know I got to keep going.
I use it as motivation.

Rachel Wagner (01:08:08):
You know I score myself every day Do you do those
in the morning, like beforeyour day even starts?

Mike Bednarz (01:08:13):
Typically, since my therapy schedule is a little
whack now, but typically ouroffice is in Glenview until we
move, I'll go to Glenview.
I'll usually sip I love blackcoffee Like that's my one vice.
I'll sit by my black coffee anddo work for an hour or two and
then I'll train.
That's where we have the gymand my brother and I built it at

(01:08:34):
our shop and then I'll trainthere and then, depending on my
schedule and my therapy, I'lltry to do.
I've gotten more into, likethey call it, zone two cardio
because since my accident, likeI, I can't get after it nearly
as much as I could, so I have toslow it down a little and I
I've realized, like zone twocardio, as I've done, the

(01:08:55):
research is is very importanttoo, so I tried to hit a second
time of like a minimum of 60minutes.
Either I'll run or hop on theair bike or the rower.

Rachel Wagner (01:09:15):
I typically listen to CNBC too.
I'm a big like stock guy.

Jason Wagner (01:09:17):
I I'm kind of as I'm talking out loud kind of I
seem like a robot.
My name is.

Mike Bednarz (01:09:20):
Mike, I work out every day.
My voice is Menendez too.
My girlfriend gets a littleobsessed upset with me because
everything is just like aboutproductivity, Like if I can't
just sit on the couch becauseI'm not like producing something
.
So I'm struggling with thatinternally and how to chill a
little.

(01:09:40):
And, like you know, especiallyyou guys have like be more
present in all areas of life.

Rachel Wagner (01:09:47):
You struggled with that for a long time.

Jason Wagner (01:09:49):
Yeah, man.

Rachel Wagner (01:09:50):
Just recently.
The last couple of years havereally been a big shift, yeah.

Jason Wagner (01:09:55):
I would say it was my children that really did it
for me.
You know, when it was just meand Rachel, it was pretty easy
to just get lost.

Rachel Wagner (01:10:04):
Thank you, yeah, I'm on Instagram Facebook.
Yeah, rachel, it was prettyeasy to just get lost.
Thank you, yeah.

Mike Bednarz (01:10:07):
I'm on Instagram, Facebook.

Rachel Wagner (01:10:09):
Yeah, no, it's okay.
No, that's true, it's true,though I mean you were.

Jason Wagner (01:10:12):
It's just like when you have kids and like even
when they're really young andstuff, like you know they're
still pretty easy to manage,it's a big change in your life.
But the moment that they justthey want to come, that you know
they come home and they want toplay man, it's just, it's a
whole nother level of just getto the point where they're like
dad, put your phone away theytell you.
They tell you that yeah, theytell you that I want to harp on

(01:10:36):
this because when I wasstruggling, when we were doing
the skierg at your place, yousaid do it for your kids.
Man, Like you were yellingthese motivational things at me.
I'm like, dude, shut up, man.
No, I loved it, Honestly.
I loved it because I I Ihaven't had that in a fucking

(01:10:58):
long time.
But you said something to methat I, just like it, unlocked a
whole nother level of energy,dude.
And you hit it and you found,you found the piece which was it
was my kids man.
And you said, dude, your kidsare watching you.

Mike Bednarz (01:11:14):
Uh, what an asshole I was.

Jason Wagner (01:11:15):
That's what you said.

Rachel Wagner (01:11:16):
And I'm like ah, fuck, I'm going, I'm going, I'm
going, I can see that working,though, because Scarlett will
say things now where she's likeDaddy's the strongest guy in the
world.
Oh yeah, you know, he's likecarrying both girls upstairs.
That's awesome, that makes meso proud.
That makes me so proud.
Then he's like all right, I'mcarrying you both.

Jason Wagner (01:11:33):
You know, it makes me so damn proud Because you
know what and that's why I workout every day is so that my kids
can crawl all over.
And Scarlett's five, Layla'sthree, Scarlett's what?
Maybe 50 pounds.

Rachel Wagner (01:11:45):
Yeah, they're a solid 70, 75 pounds together.
Yeah, okay.

Jason Wagner (01:11:51):
So to be able to carry them in any way, shape or
form and to take them up thestairs.
At both times I still got a lotmore weight that I can put on
there at another third kid.
You know what?
That's the fun stuff and that'skind of I.
You know I got to stay strongfor my kids, man.

Mike Bednarz (01:12:08):
Yeah, and you're creating those memories like
they'll have those forever, likedad, dad used to carry us up
the stairs.
You know, and you'll have thosetoo, and you'll never get those
back.
You know, and one day knock onwood, you know we're not going
to be able to have those typesof memories, so keep doing what
you're doing.

Jason Wagner (01:12:25):
Yeah, yeah, no man .
Well, I love your story, bro.
Thanks for coming in andsharing that stuff Inspirational
and humbling, I think.
You know, you, you, you saidthat a couple of times.
You know, some of theexperiences you've had have been
really humbling and sometimeswe need, we need some of that is
, you know, we can really hit ahigh horse and then, you know,

(01:12:47):
maybe we get a little bit toofar over our skis, right, and
it's nice to kind of have ahumbling experience and a
humbling conversation sometimesto you know, just bring the
balance back, and I think we didthat today.
I think we really accomplishedthat today.
We kind of wrap up with what'syour biggest takeaway from the

(01:13:07):
conversation, rach?
What do you think fromeverything you heard here?
What's your biggest takeaway?

Rachel Wagner (01:13:11):
Yeah, I think I love the, whatever it takes.
I think that is so cool and Ithink that came through in so
many different areas of what youtalked about.
Like you, you know you're notgoing to be the victim or
anything like that Like you'rejust so focused on keep moving
forward, right, keep movingforward, don't get stagnant.
And there's a little bit of acriticism of like you're not
being present but, at the sametime, you're not getting

(01:13:33):
stagnant, right, like you'recontinuing to push forward and
whatever happens, just keepmoving and don't let it bring
you down.
You know, just keep movingforward.
And I think I think that's sogreat and I think that, like,
we've seen that theme pop up indifferent areas of our life, so
it just felt really applicable,like really relatable too.
I like that.

Jason Wagner (01:13:51):
Yeah for sure, my big takeaway here was your
preparedness and yourpreparedness for the unknown.
You know and it's, it's, it'sdone through discipline and it's
done through discipline.
But from your accident and fromyour fall and your tremendous
recovery tremendous recovery,and it was all because you were

(01:14:20):
able to be ready for theunexpected moment.
And I think a lot of times weforget about the unknown and
what could happen, and itthere's a lot of fear that can
build up and we really don't doanything about.
How do we, how do we mitigatesome of that fear?
And I think you really kind ofshowed like dude I'm, I've kind
of always been this way and Iwas able to bounce back.

(01:14:40):
No matter what life throws atme, I've been able to bounce
back and just continue movingforward with whatever it takes,
and like all that stuff, man,it's just dude.
it's like it's such a goodmessage.

Mike Bednarz (01:14:50):
Yeah.

Jason Wagner (01:14:50):
And it's so motivational.
Yeah, you really got a lot like.
You're so admirable, you know.

Mike Bednarz (01:14:56):
Thank you.
I appreciate that you reallyare.
Yeah, thank you.

Jason Wagner (01:14:59):
And also, at the same time, you've also
recognized hey, I'm anentrepreneur, I'm a business
owner.
I went out and started it notlong ago.
It's doing quite well.
It's with a family member, LikeI like that messaging where
it's like you partner withpeople you can really trust, and
even though you know there's arisk of ruining the relationship
or whatnot.
But, like you know, I like thatmessage and you've, you've,

(01:15:21):
you've mixed it with I'm abusiness owner and I do real
estate.
Those two pieces go hand inhand.
One creates the cash, the cashis then used to invest in your
future for the long term, andone feeds the other and that
whole system is such a beautifulthing and you're doing it and

(01:15:44):
it's proven to work for you and,like you can think about real
estate is like it's availablefor everybody.

Mike Bednarz (01:15:48):
Yeah, it's available for everybody.
I tell people you know, maybeyou're not going to hit a an
amazing deal the first time perse a home run, but like, get
started.
Like, real estate is veryforgiving.
Maybe it takes seven years,maybe it takes 12 on the long
end, but one day you will saydamn, I wish I bought more.

Jason Wagner (01:16:09):
I'm happy I did this yeah, what's your big
takeaway from today'sconversation?

Mike Bednarz (01:16:14):
my biggest takeaway.
I think that, like in regardsto specifically you guys or what
, no, just whatever, man, yeahwhatever I'm jealous of.
You know what you guys have andhow you've come together as one
and, like you know, that's whyI'm so interested and my
girlfriend and I are there too,but it's it's so hard to.

(01:16:38):
You know, you mentioned youdidn't have as much real estate
exposure in the beginning and jJason, you had all that stuff
and, like you know, you had thisplan and you executed the hell
of it.
You know you have Greystone,you have your company, you have
you have a house here.
You got real estate.
You guys are doing it togetherand like maybe you're doing more
than 50% of the kids and youknow he's not as, but like it

(01:17:01):
all evens out because you guysare one.
And when you have a partner,like look at this podcast, you
guys both, you know it's.
I'm just like, wow, this isamazing.
I walked in, wow, this isamazing.
So, like you guys are a truepartnership and not a lot of
people have that, and I know 75Hard was big on your
relationship and everything.

(01:17:22):
Like you guys are doing it andit's admirable too.
Like it's, it's awesome.
You know good stuff, thank you.

Jason Wagner (01:17:31):
Yeah, thank you very much it's.
It's why we started the podcastwas because I really like
talking to rachel.
Why don't we, why don't we alsotalk to other people like at
the same time?

Mike Bednarz (01:17:44):
that's kind of cool, I remember when we, uh,
when we had the workout, we wereactually speaking about the
love languages and as a man, howthat is like an epiphany.
I'm like oh, and he was like,you know, I could get my walk in
and you're, I think, your time,like you could walk together
quality time yeah it's at thischeck so many boxes and like
everyone's getting better andit's's like so.

(01:18:07):
Humans are very difficult tointeract and be with and you got
to understand that.
You know I receive love throughacts of service, but my
girlfriend, maddie, doesn't atall.
But my natural inclination islike yo, I just cut the grass.
What do you mean?
You know it's like, but shedoesn't.
You didn't tell me you love me.
I'm like oh, so it's like meunderstanding, like I could.

(01:18:29):
I don't have to kill myself ofdoing these services.
I could just be present andarticulate these thoughts and
that's what she needs and wants,you know, and that's great.
You know I, I just need andwant something else.
So it's about I think you guyshave understood each other and
it's honestly I don't say thisword a lot but beautiful, like

(01:18:50):
it's really cool, you know.

Jason Wagner (01:18:53):
Thanks, man, thank you, thank you, we really
appreciate that.
Yeah, it's like you know,finding a partner is super
important and it's all aboutcommunication.

Rachel Wagner (01:19:04):
Yeah, it's been a work in progress.

Jason Wagner (01:19:05):
For sure, For sure .
Like weird.

Mike Bednarz (01:19:08):
Well, you guys were so young too.
I'm like shocked, you're stillyoung, but like wow.

Jason Wagner (01:19:14):
Yeah, yeah.

Rachel Wagner (01:19:16):
You mentioned something about how, like we had
this plan and we executed and Ithink, big picture-wise, yes,
but looking at like the detailsof the plan, so many things
changed along the way and Ithink it was like both of us
needing to have a willingness toadjust and make changes.
And you know, because theinitial plan was to flip houses,
you know you never had thisvision of having a brokerage.

(01:19:38):
Like there's just so manythings that changed and like
just the willingness to like,adjust to of like how we
contributed.
You know it's changed a lot.
I mean I used to work full timeto help support you.
Now you do all the work andsupport me.
You know, it's like just thisconstant evolution and
communication is key and I thinkyeah, and nothing's ever set in
stone.

Jason Wagner (01:19:57):
You know a lot of people, they, they struggle with
the whole.
I can't start a business typething because what if it fails?
Yeah, it might it, it will fail, probably the first time, right
, we, you know, I want to do thewhole house flip thing and then
I realized boy, there's not alot of like efficiencies that
are kind of going on right now.
I'm still really learning it.
And well, why don't I get myreal estate license and like

(01:20:17):
kind of help my friends like buyand sell real estate?
While I'm doing that stuff atthe same time, oh shit, all of a
sudden I started generating,started generating cash.
Well then, well, wait a second.
Actually I'm pretty good atthis and big people actually
kind of trust me with their youknow, big financial decision.
Oh shit, I'm actually doing alot more sales.
Hey, this is a lot easierselling houses to my friends
than actually flipping houses onthe South side of Chicago and

(01:20:41):
potentially seeing drive-byshootings in which that'm like
you know.
I just I'll never forget I waslike I was eating lunch in my
truck that one day and I'm I'meating them like I'm eating the
mcdonald's man this was before75 hard came into our life.
I'm eating the mcdonald's andall of a sudden I'm looking
straight ahead and I'm like, boy, there's a, you know, there's a
blacked out car that just ranlike, zoomed by me, so it's a

(01:21:05):
one-way street.
It zoomed by me, it made a leftand then and I was like, oh my
god, and I'm like, what am Idoing right now, in this moment?
Right, is this what I want tobe doing?
Yeah, and you just kind of, youknow, when something like that
happens, you just kind of get toanother level of like, okay,

(01:21:27):
maybe we shift a little bit andand it's okay, you know,
shifting is good and then youusually will end up you learn
from the last experience and youfind something a little bit
better that keeps you movingforward, and that's the key.

Mike Bednarz (01:21:40):
You kept moving forward Like you didn't quit you
know, you didn't quit the, theshooting, whatever the
McDonald's like, you didn't quit.
You didn't quit the shooting.
You didn't quit.
You could have quit, A lot ofpeople would have quit.
But you adapted, you madechange and you found something
arguably better and morelucrative.

Rachel Wagner (01:21:55):
Yeah, it's that.
Whatever it takes, I reallyit's so applicable.
Yeah, it's cool, all right.

Jason Wagner (01:22:01):
Well, this was an awesome conversation, yeah, this
was All right.
Well, this was an awesomeconversation, yeah this was so
fun.
Yeah, mike, if anybody wants toget in touch with you, maybe if
you get an email or if you gotsomething that you want to share
, feel free.
Yeah, I'll share the WIT one.

(01:22:28):
I got a couple emails, but it'switproperties1 at gmailcom, so
W-I-T properties, the number oneat gmailcom.
Cool, Awesome, all right.
Well, thanks to everyone forlistening.
I know you got a ass ton ofinspiration out of this one.
If you found any value in theshow, please share it.
Mike's got a hell of a storyand I know that you've got some
friends that could definitelyhear hear this one, so please
share the show.
And actually, hey, we're out onYouTube now, so you, you will
find us there, which is kind ofcool.

(01:22:48):
All right, thanks for listening.
We'll catch you later.