(00:00): In life, you have two choices, you can build a lifestyle or you can live a life, but you can't do both welcome to the freedom lifestyle experience, where we focus on building the lifestyle you want. And now here's your host. Michael Burns.
(00:16): Welcome back to the freedom lifestyle experience. I'm your host, Mike, how's everyone doing? So I bought a Ferrari guys and it's everything that you would imagine a Ferrari is it's badass. It's sexy, it's fast. Just everything about it is really cool, but there's so much more behind just the car that I really wanted to talk about. You know, it's not an Instagram or Facebook post, not an Instagram coast, cuz I'm I'm currently banned on Instagram and working on that, but it's not about like looking cool and, and, and you know, everything for the gram and a social media post. Like for me buying this Ferrari and going through the mental process of actually giving myself permission to buy the Ferrari, literally wasn't an higher process. And until you're, you know, like from where I come from, I've shared with you guys before I come from a small town, my parents owned a nursery and a landscape center, very volatile business.
(01:13): It's seasonal. You know, when people don't have disposable income, their landscape and, and the plants in their yard is definitely not their top priority. So we grew, grew up well, I grew up in a, you know, middle class, upper middle class, nice family. We had everything that we needed, but hard work. And the stress and pressure of owning a small business was constantly always there. And through that, I learned hard work, but more than hard work, also the value of a dollar. So all the way to today, I, I real, won't spend more than 60 bucks on a pair of shoes. Like I'm a pretty frugal cheap dude. I like to travel, you know, like I'll spend money on traveling and we got a nice home. And then now, you know, then I'm 10 years, 12 years into my current business, but really I've been hustling and grinding since I was 19 years old, out a $2 million sales quota.
(02:02): And I've had a lot of delayed gratification, you know, just rolling the money, you know, early on in our real estate business, we took some pretty serious losses, lost 50 GS on our second deal, 10 grand on our third deal. You know, I've lost a lot of money on deals. And since then we've made a lot of money too, but I've never forgot because of that first 18 months get and going in real estate was such a challenge in such an uphill battle and money was tight. You know, like we literally couldn't afford the utility bills on our flips. So I would have the heat, like 40 degrees, 45, 50 degrees, just, just warm enough to make sure that pipes wouldn't freeze, but also keeping it down to where the furnaces not running all the time. And we had high gas bills, same thing in the summer, you know, making sure the ACS not going all the time.
(02:50): So really just my process of getting to where I'm at now to where I'm in a position and I can buy a Ferrari. And quite honestly, it, it doesn't affect my money situation at all. The cash flow alone from our businesses covers the cost of the car a couple times over the delayed gratification. But, but not only that, you just rolling the money into the business and, you know, constantly growing the business and taking the flips from a couple to three to five, to five, to, into seven to nine, to 10 to 12. Now we're doing 12 to 15 deals at a time that requires a lot of capital and a lot of credit. So just laying all of that framework for you guys while I'm talking about going through the mental process of actually considering purchasing a car, that's, you know, it's in an excess of $300,000 is just seems reckless.
(03:38): It seems a responsible, I'm a pretty humble dude. I'm not a flashy guy. Sh you know, if you follow me on social media, I'm really outspoken, but I'm not showing my Rolex watches every day. And just constantly like trying to be that flashy guy on, on Instagram. That's just not how I roll. It's actually been really challenging for me to share the wins. I don't mind talking the losses because I'm just here trying to provide value. But I struggle with talking about my wins and sharing the numbers on our deals. And, you know, sh like I said, showing the nice watches and the nice trips, you know, our, we have a pretty cool badass house. All of that. Stuff's just not where I come from. I come from pretty humble beginnings. And, you know, like I said, of this small family owned business and a small town, and that's just not how I was raised.
(04:25): So that's one thing I really want to talk about, you know, with my lifestyle, I've got the six different pillars and one of 'em is, is fun and experience. And part of that's the monetary things and having nice, you know, we work hard and, and we should be able to do for on things and, and have nice things like Rolex watches, a nice house, a Ferrari taking the trips. It's like, why are we sitting here doing all this work and, and grinding. And, you know, I, I work till 2:00 AM on a regular basis and it's okay to spend money. It's okay to, to have nice. And, you know, a lot of, one of, of the biggest things I was concerned about when I bought this car is like, what's everyone gonna think? You know, and I know I'm constantly talking on the show about like, what everybody thinks.
(05:09): You know, you gotta do your thing and lead by example, but people want to see you do good, but there's a cap to how good people want to see you do. And then beyond that, that's like when some of the negative comments start coming out and I've experienced that through my life with different friends, with different family members, you know, even it's been surprising with buying the Ferrari, I've had nothing but positive, like positivity outpouring, which was really cool to me because I was kind of expecting a little bit more the negative from people. And I've only had one person who I thought was a true homie, make a, make a comment to me. And it is what it is. It's just part of the deal. Like I said, not everyone's coming with you and, and people want to see you do good, but you know, if it's better than them or if it, or if it's, you know, starting to do too good, then their own insecurities come out and then all of their judgements and all of their, basically they just project their towards your way.
(06:04): And, and that's really all haters are guys. It's just people who they're just sharing their own thoughts and opinions of themselves in your direction. So you gotta just not worry about it. But anyway, circling to, you know, buying the Ferrari, the whole process of that, it it's a Ferrari, right? Like it's, it's, it's, it's a badass car. It's fun to drive. It's all of that is a cool experience. But also for me, it's about more. And then just the car itself, I've got my mentor, Albert, you know, I, I talk to you guys a lot about mentors and coaches and my mentor and tour Albert out in California, he's been telling me I should get a Ferrari for the last two years, just because it's a great marketing tool. It's one of those symbols of success. That's an undeniable thing. And it's just will really help grow my brand.
(06:51): And you know, when people see symbols of success, you can't like it. Like you're doing it right. You can fake certain things, but when you start living the lifestyle and you start having the symbols of success, you know, you're closing the deals. You're, you know, like I wear Rolex watches because I like 'em, but it's also, it's just a fact when people see signs of success, they look at you differently. They might treat you differently, or it could just open opportunities. It could start a conversation. It's kind of like, I'm always talking about, put yourself in the right environment. You know? So like, if I'm putting myself in an environment, I'm paying to be part of a high level mastermind group and I'm there and I'm talking with people and, and people see that, oh, this dude's got, you know, he's got a yacht master to Rolex on.
(07:35): It's a, it's a symbol of success. Or like when I pull up to the country club and my Ferrari people notice me and they look at me differently and they want to know who is that guy? And what does he do? Obviously he's successful. Obviously he's somebody he's doing something. If he's driving a Ferrari and yeah, there's the, there are people that can fake that. And I'm not, I'm not really worried about my perception. So I really want to be clear on what I'm saying. I'm not sitting here saying that you I'm be flashy and have these nice. So people think you're cool and successful. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying from a very strategic point of view. And just the reality is if you're in business, like I am, and you have signs of success, like a nice watch of, for all a nice truck, like you're a member at the country club.
(08:22): There's certain things that show that you're successful and that's people are attracted to success. So, you know, one of the big reasons why I bought the car was for my personal brand. You know, I've got the podcast I'm really putting, doing this every week, trying to grow the podcast, my social media, very, very, very active on that. I'm, I'm making a very strong effort to grow my personal brand because I know that's gonna, if people like me and they like my message and I'm authentic, and I'm sitting here being real with you guys, sharing my journey, sharing my stories, sharing my success, sharing my failures, and really talking about my core values and just saying, Hey, this is who I am as an in individual. This is what I'm doing in business. This is how we operate people who are attracted to that. They're gonna want to get involved, or people are attracted to success.
(09:09): So if you're a loan officer and you see what we're doing with lifestyle lending, and you like what I'm about you like core values are about, you can see the signs of success. People are gonna wanna be a part of that. You know, loan officers are gonna want to join our company. If you're a real estate agent, and you're seeing those same things, you like the idea of self development and the idea, this culture that we're building, they're gonna want to come be a part of it and hopefully join our company. The more that I share what we're doing with our state deals, and just again, continuing to share myself and, and everything that I'm about and being open and vulnerable and transparent, which is one of my core values in leading by example, I have people hitting me up with deals and I also have people hitting me up saying, Hey, I've got money.
(09:51): I would love to invest in your deals. So that's why I'm doubling down, out on my brand with everything that I'm doing, doing the, the monthly meetups at the, at our office, the car is a big part of that. And it's a huge marketing strategy for us. So that's how I, you know, kind of justified buying this Ferrari. But even then it's a huge purchase. It was $325,000. Like it's a lot of money. So often they go through the process of, you know, number one, it's awesome. It's a cool car. It's beautiful. And who doesn't want to drive a Ferrari, right. It's a dream of every little kid, but then also going through the process of justifying why it makes sense outside of just pleasure, but then actually pulling the trigger on buying it, you know, like, I'm good enough to do this. I deserve to do this.
(10:41): It was literally probably a 10 day process of when I really, really started like, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna buy a Ferrari. And then starting to look at 'em and then seeing the price points. And then, you know, again, the strategy was a big piece to me, E two, I was super concerned about, I don't want to buy one of these and then end up upside down on it. You know? So I started looking at like 2000 sixteens that weren't a convertible. They were just the coop. And then just, you know, understanding the market and looking at comps and prices. And again, where mentors come in, you know, I was able to, to reach out to my mentor, Albert, he's got like three or four Ferrari and asking him like, Hey man, this is my thoughts. This is kind of like my concerns with probably keep this thing for a couple of years and then get rid of it and get another one or whatever that looks like in two years, I wanna make sure I'm not upside down.
(11:33): So then getting his opinion on how they hold their value and what he would do. And then Mark Evans, who also he's got multiple roll Royces. He's got, he just bought a Ferrari last summer as well. So I was able to reach out to mark and say, Hey man, I'm considering buying a Ferrari. He's like. Yeah, that's awesome. You should do it. And I said, well, this is why I'm considering doing it. It's about more than just having a cool car. Like I really want to position it to help build the brand and just all the reasons why it makes sense. And I thought it makes sense. And having a mentor to reach out to, and, and bounce that idea and, and not only get confirmation, but to be honest guys, I was looking for permission. Like I needed to be given permission that it, it was okay to do that, but not only that, that it was a smart move.
(12:16): It was about more, like I said, about more than just buying a fast supercar. You know what I mean? Like, am I being strategic about it? Am I being smart about it? Like I can afford this car. I could pay cash for it multiple times over. I'm not gonna pay cash for it because I use my money for our deals. So I finance the car, but just really going through that entire process of doesn't make sense and, and justifying it, getting permission. So anyways, I talked with mark and he was like, dude, I would recommend buying a newer one than a 16. I'd get something that's a little bit newer. So I ended up buying a 20 18, 8, 8 spider. So basically I bought a 2018 convertible at super low miles, 4,000 miles, one owner, which was about $70,000 more than what I was initially looking at.
(13:05): So then I had to go through the mental process of this thing. You know, I was looking at the 2 50, 2 60 range. Now, all of a sudden I'm at like three 20, you know, 3, 3 40 range. And that was so then I had to go like, you know, absorb that mentally process. Holy. Like now we're talking about another, you know, a whole nother price point. But again, from a strategic standpoint, you know, in learning how they hold their values and understanding, okay, it actually makes more sense to spend more money now up front with something that's newer with lower miles. And that's also the convertible because when I go to sell this thing and exit in probably two years, three years, 18 months, whenever it is this thing's gonna hold its value in really understanding how much the miles affect the price and just, and understanding all of that.
(13:50): So now that I'm able to go through this whole process, I could get to where I was comfortable pulling the trigger on the car. So then once I, once I saw the one that I loved, just like that it was done this is probably the easiest sales sale for the guy. I didn't see it in person. It came from Ferrari of Washington DC. So I, I saw the car online, loved it reached out to him, talked to the sales guy, had him send me E couple of videos. And I said, okay, cool. Let's do it. Yeah. I tried to negotiate the price a little bit, negotiated the interest rate a little bit on the loan. But once I went through that whole process, waking Kia up at one in the morning, like, babe, do you think I'm tripping? Like, is this stupid?
(14:31): Like just constantly looking for it's okay to buy this for RA because in, you know what, like, like I said, where I come from in my thought process is it's just so excessive. I could do so much other things with this money, but then when I start breaking it down and it's like, well, it's really not that much money. It's a down payment and it's a monthly payment. And then looking at all the benefits of it. So that's really this mental process that I went through with buying this Ferrari. And until you do that, or if you're someone who has made your money, literally from nothing like I have, and you've eaten all the way up and like delayed gratification for 10 years and just grinded and grind and grinded, like it's, for me, it's not easy to go spend money on these luxury things.
(15:15): So it, it truly was like an entire mental process, but most people, you know, they just say, oh yeah, burns goes out and buys a Ferrari. And it's just like, oh, he's just throwing money away. And like, until you actually go through that process and you are business savvy and very conscious with your finances and you're just super dialed in and very aware of what's going on and you are mature with your finances and you understand money, you understand credit, you understand cash flow and just where I'm at with all of that stuff. It's not like just going out and buying a Ferrari, like, it. And being reckless, it's a total opposite. It was a actually like a really interesting process to go through mentally. So then when we took delivery, the Ferrari, you know, I, my buddies knew about it. Like couple of my close friends and the guys in my mastermind group when I was down in Florida, that's actually, I had the dealership overnight, the documents to me down there when I signed everything and sent them back.
(16:11): So those guys all knew, but back here in Utah, just two of my buddies knew that was it. So when we took delivery of the car, first thing Kia wanted to do was drive over to my mom's house and show her. And I had a ton of reservations about it because I was just worried about basically the reaction of my family, like, oh, you know, Mike just went out and bought a Ferrari. He thinks he's a big shot or just, you know, all these things that I have in my head. And none of that happened, like everyone was so stoked and so excited. I mean, it was really cool. And so it was cool to show my mom, but also one of my favorite experiences with the car so far is went over to my brother's house and showing my little nephew N he's 10 years old.
(16:54): And so anyways, my, my brother came out and saw it and we went for a drive in it. And then he went in and got my nephew and I let my brother drive it and take my nephew for a ride in it. And just seeing him light up and, you know, uncle Mike, but a Ferrari and just, it was just seeing how excited he was. And then we had a family. My other nephew's birthday was last Sunday and I took the car over there. And just, you know, seeing, seeing like the, the 10 year old nephews, all excited about it and, that's like so much cooler than, than me actually getting it, just being able to share it and, and show them and have them see that. But also like give them the message of, you know, if you hard, you can have and do and be whatever you want to be and whatever you want to do, you know, like, buddy, if you want to have a Ferrari, you can absolutely do it.
(17:42): You just gotta work hard and really instilling that message in the next generation and why I'm sharing everything I'm doing in my life is I'm just trying to provide value to the world and share my journey. And hopefully it's, it's helping and, you know, giving others confidence of, Hey, I can do that too. And talking about the idea of, I can do that too, for me when I get around. And I've talked about this in the show before, but you gotta get around an environment where the things you want to do and be are happening. So buying a Ferrari would never be real to me, you know, several years ago, it's real to me because I have friends that have cars like that. I put myself in environments where people are more successful than me and they're doing, they're just more established in business.
(18:31): Maybe they're my same age or they're older, but I put myself around people who ideally, I want to be the little guy in the room. I never want to be the big fish in the room because I just, that's not how I roll. I like to, I like to be around people who are doing way more than I am, because it makes me level up, cuz want to feel like a little if I'm continuing to show up and I'm around these people in a group and I'm not continuing to grow and I'm not making more money, my relationships aren't getting better. I'm not getting in better shape. Like I'm not doing more deals my business, isn't growing. I'm gonna feel like a little. And that's not what I want. One of my core values is self development. And the other one is experts at our craft.
(19:10): And I take that serious. So I'm always trying to do more and get better and being around people, you know, like when I have this coach Albert, you know, and he's literally in the exact same business and I am he several years older than me, but I've watched him build his mortgage company into where they probably have eight locations now and they're funding 300, 400 loans a month. He also has this real estate brokerage and they're doing well there. They're just moving into this brand new badass corporate office in west Hollywood. So when I'm watching him do exactly what I'm doing, but at a higher level, I'm like, well, that's possible. I sit down with the a dude. There's nothing special about him other than he works. And he executes and, and he just does it, you know, so being around him and seeing what he's doing, and then also seeing how he's leveraged nice things like Ferrari and just showing the lifestyle that he's living.
(20:07): And he's allowed that to help him grow his personal brand, which has helped him really blow his companies up because people want to be a part of this culture. They want to be a part of winning. They want to be a part of self development. So being around where I'm seeing people, you know, I have another buddy here in Utah, he's got, was driving a McLaren. And then he just recently bought a really nice portion stuff. So seeing other guys that know or people that I'm around, you know, doing these same things, makes it real impossible for me as well. And that's why I'm always talking about your environment so much guys, as like the environment that you place yourself in is the reality that you're placing yourself in. So buying a Ferrari might not be real today. It might be just like, not even you can't even comprehend it.
(20:54): And that's where I would've been at four or five, even just a few years ago, even though financially, I probably could have done it. Just the idea of it, just that it wasn't real. So the, the more that we continue to upgrade our environment, the more that we continue to raise our standards, stuff like that can become real, but it's only gonna become real for you if you're around it and you're seeing it happen for other people. And then you realize these guys are no different than me. If they can do it, then I can do it. But also with that said, there's also time, you know, you gotta earn your stripes, Rome, wasn't built day, all of that stuff. So there's the reality of doing something like that and giving yourself permission. But there's also being realistic and understanding where you're at and delayed gratification is a big deal.
(21:38): Putting in the work is a big deal. Like you, you really, there's a fine line of that, right. And just because you can afford something or you can barely afford something doesn't mean that you should do it. So there's a, a, a ton of financial literacy and responsibility there as well when you're making these decisions, whatever it might be. So again, you know, I just really wanna reiterate that. I'm not just saying, oh, it. Go out and buy, you know, whatever, nice stuff you want. I'm saying, it's okay to go buy the nice that you want when you've earned it. You know, for example, when I bought my first Rolex, I love watches. Watches are like my thing. I'm not, I'm not really a car guy, even though I just bought a Ferrari, like I, I just went through the whole thought process and explanation for you as to why it makes sense for me, but I love watches.
(22:26): And when I bought my first Rolex, I had wanted this Rolex and I made a deal with myself. It's like, okay, next time we make a hundred grand in a month. I'm gonna go get my Rolex that I want. And then I hit the goal, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't comprehend spending 10 or $12,000 on a watch. I just, I, I, I couldn't do it. So anyways, I, I, I didn't do it. So like, okay, next time, you know, I hit that financial goal and I literally had to set a financial goal and hit it four times before I finally was like, it. I'm gonna buy the watch. And it's not even about the watch guys. It's about who you have to become to get the thing that you want. You know? So like the guy or the person that I had to become to make a hundred grand in a month, you can't like that doesn't just happen.
(23:14): Right? Like you gotta become someone to, to where you're able to produce that type of deal. And then, you know, I remember when I did it, I was like, well, maybe that was a fluke. I don't wanna be reckless with my money. Like, you know what I mean? I don't need to watch that bad, you know? And I just kind of bitched out on the thing. So it's like, oh, well, next time I do that, then I'll get the watch because then it wasn't a fluke. I didn't get lucky. So next time I hit a hundred grand. I'll let myself get the Rolex and then it happened. And then same thing. I went through the whole process of like, maybe I got lucky, it's stupid, it's reckless. I don't need it. You know, like, it's just, it's, it's ridiculous to spend that kind of money on a watch.
(23:53): Like it just sits on your wrist. So anyways, I went through that process four times and then finally, I was like, it. I went and got my watch. And it's not even about the watch. It's about out everything behind the watch. It's about the process that I went through to be in a position to be able to get the watch about the process of if I hit this goal and then still thinking I didn't deserve it and then doing it again and still thinking I don't deserve it. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve it. And then finally pulling the trigger on it when I've earned it four times over at that point, it's so much more than just a watch. It's a reminder every day of like who I have become to be in a position to be able to buy something like that.
(24:37): And knowing in my heart a heart that it's not reckless, I can afford it. No problem. I can do it. Like it's not irresponsible. So it's like a little trophy, you know, it's like a business trophy having, having Rolex watch, like my Ferrari. It's like, it's like a trophy, like, and sitting in it. So like, you know, the way that I feel wearing the watch and I know everything that went into it, it builds self confidence. And it's just an on, it's just an everyday reminder and kind of a pat on the back and an attaboy of you've come a long way to get here. But it's also a reminder of if I'm gonna be wearing a watch like that, then I better be acting like a guy that wears a watch like that. And it's the same thing with the Ferrari, you know, it it's gonna be awesome for marketing.
(25:19): Like I took it out to, you know, a real estate networking thing the other night and just the amount of marketing and buzz and a 10 from one meeting was crazy to see. But when I'm sitting in that car, like, you know, I, I felt guilty. I still feel a little bit guilty buying this car, but I can tell you when I sat in it with Kia and we're super excited and we're sitting in it and I'm driving it. I mean the experience of driving the Ferrari, obviously it's awesome. Right? So Ferrari. But the moment that I had with myself of like, wow, man, you really did this. And having this proud moment with myself and just this, just this moment with myself of like, dude, you know, the other night, it was probably like one in the morning and I got up and I went out and I just turned the light in the garage on, and I just looked at the car and I was like, wow, man, you're here, you've come this far to where you've got a Ferrari in your garage.
(26:13): How cool is that? And just having a proud moment with myself, which I don't do a lot of, because I'm always looking to grow into the next thing. So just really having these sings they're success, symbols for myself, you know, and they're, they're like little trophies for, I hope you guys are connecting with that, but it's, like I said, it's about so much more than just a flashy watch or this Ferrari supercar. It's a big deal for me mentally, emotionally, and really cool to just have that experience with myself. But with that said, guys, I'm just sharing these recent wins with where I'm at. You know, and again, I'm 34 years old today. I started in business when I was 19 doing inside sales. So that's 15 years of, you know, being in sales and, or, you know, having my business and real estate, mortgage and investments and everything that we do.
(27:03): So I'm just sharing where I'm at today. You know, the, you know, my vision board is flying on private jets. You know, there's a picture, me, me and Kia flown on a private jet. I've been on private jets a couple times. I want that to be my new normal. So on my vision board, I have a photo and it's me and Kia in front of a private jet. Also on my vision board, I have picture of a big yacht, so there's levels to everything, but also I wanna rewind and go back to 10 years ago or whenever it was, that's not where my vision board was. My vision board was make a hundred grand in a year. You know, I had a nice citizen watch that I wanted. I remember when I bought my first nice I citizen watch and I spent like, I don't know, 300 bucks on it.
(27:47): I was just as excited and stoked walking out of that store in the mall guys as I was when I got my Rolex. And I think it's really important to communicate that, like I was every bit as excited when I got a $300 watch as I was when I bought a $10,000 watch, same thing when I went and bought a new when I was like 1920 and I was kicking as in inside sales, I remember I went and bought an all blacked out two door, coop, Honda civic, and I was every bit excited about buying that car as I was when I got my Ferrari. The point that I'm making is it's levels, right? Like you to focus on where you're at and, and be excited about the next level and reward yourself and, and, and be in that moment, because if you're just looking at the top of the mountain, you're never gonna be fulfilled.
(28:36): You gotta acknowledge your wins along the way. And that's why winning the day is so important. And just understanding that this is a process, you know what I mean? So like, I'm on a process right now, like I've far from made it, so it, it's cool to have like the immediate things that we want. And it's good to have the things that we, that big dream pick things that we want, like way out in the future as well. But you kind of gotta have the steps along the way, because that's how you build momentum. And that's how you build confidence, you know, as you, as you continue to hit a next level, and then you're looking at the next level, the next level and the next level and it, and it just keeps going from there and you've gotta become really listen to what I'm saying right now, guys, who do I have to become to get to the next level of where I'm going.
(29:20): And then once you're there, who do I have to become to get to the next level? And the that's, the foundation of my message is personal accountability and staying loyal to your potential. So if you're constantly being personally accountable to any and everything, and you're staying loyal to your potential, then you're just focused on the journey. And you're always trying to do a little more, and you're always trying to get a little bit better. And if you continue to do that, I promise you at some point in time, you're gonna reach all your dreams and all your goals. So with that side, guys, I really appreciate you listening in. If you like the show, please share the show, leave me a review. Still off of Instagram, but my, my face is going strong at Mr. Michael Burns. I'd love to connect with you online. I'd love to hear what you like about the show, maybe what you don't like about the show, new things you'd like me to talk about and just appreciate all the love and support. So until then go build that lifestyle and we'll see you guys next week.
(30:20): This is the podcast factory.com.
