Rock Bottom to Real Estate Tycoon: Shawn Hart’s Journey to Financial Freedom

Welcome back to another episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business! I’m your host, Jennifer Glass, and today we have an incredible guest who has truly experienced the highs and lows of life and business. Joining us is Shawn Hart, a real estate tycoon who went from rock bottom to achieving massive success.

In this episode, Shawn shares his personal journey from hitting rock bottom to becoming a real estate mogul. From working long hours at a convenience store to retiring by the age of 31, Shawn’s story is one of resilience, determination, and mastering the mind.

We’ll dive deep into Shawn’s early struggles and the steps he took to overcome depression and control his financial future. From finding inspiration in a duplex purchase to learning from influencers like Grant Cardone, Shawn’s path to success was filled with self-discovery and a change in mindset.

We also explore Shawn’s innovative strategies in the real estate industry. With a focus on low-cost properties in upstate New York, Shawn shares how he turned his low barrier to entry and his plumbing background into a profitable investment. From managing properties to redefining the value of each hour, Shawn’s insight will leave you inspired and open to new possibilities.

But it doesn’t stop there. As we discuss Shawn’s goals for the future, including reaching a net worth of $50,000,000 and investing in land in Georgia, we’ll reflect on the importance of defining success and finding happiness along the way.

So, get ready to be motivated and inspired as we explore Shawn Hart’s journey from rock bottom to a real estate tycoon. Tune in to this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business. Let’s jump right in!

About my guest: Shawn Hart’s journey was far from easy. Battling with feelings of worthlessness and undeserving, he endured the mind game that came with facing difficult challenges. It was a process of self-discovery and internal work. Through deep conversations with himself, he gradually built himself up, taking small steps towards finding his way out. For Shawn, losing out on his passion for sports meant realizing that life had more to offer. He learned to prioritize and find meaning in other aspects of life, understanding that there were bigger and more important things beyond his current struggles. As he climbed out, he clung onto these newfound treasures, embracing them as he emerged stronger and wiser.

Connect with Shawn on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok

Keywords: real estate, net worth, goals, extra hours, studying, money, big goal, reinvested, difficulties, internal work, worthless, undeserving, conversations, building oneself up, small steps, struggles, losing out on sports, meaningful things, low barrier to entry, upstate New York, first-time homebuyer, rental income, plumbing industry, plumbing repairs, electrical repairs, sheetrock, brick foundation work, roofs, paint, Mojo, mindset, point A to point B

Key topics:

I. Guest’s Initial Real Estate Goal

– Initial goal of hitting a $1,000,000 net worth

– Smaller goals of putting in extra hours and studying real estate to make more money

– Realization that all their money was being reinvested and had little actual money

II. Overcoming Difficulties

– Internal work required to overcome difficulties

– Feeling worthless and undeserving during tough times

– Having conversations with oneself and building oneself up

– Taking small steps and understanding that there is more to life than current struggles

– Finding meaningful things in life beyond sports

III. Real Estate Journey

– Low barrier to entry in upstate New York for buying properties

– Buying properties for as low as $6,000 to $7,000 as a first-time homebuyer

– Living in one side of the property and renting out the other side or previous house

– Doing this process three times before having enough rental income to buy properties without moving into them

Transcript (auto-generated; may contain errors):

Jennifer Glass:

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Mojo, the meaning of life and business. A lot of times, we hear people going from rock bottom to stardom. And sometimes that Rocket is a little more of a slower train that drives us. Other times, it really is an overnight, wow. One of the things that we always wanna figure out, though, is what exactly is in the person’s mind as we look at how we get from point a to point b in that process. And so I have a really incredible guest with me today who’s going to share his own story of how he managed to find those tools, strategies, and focus to get to where he is right now. But before I bring him on, let me tell you a little bit about him. After being hit by a drunk driver and getting arrested, Sean Hart has brought himself from the deepest parts of depression at a young age to learning how to master his mind, focusing on controlling his financial future where he is now retired by the age of 31.

Jennifer Glass:

Sean, wow. Welcome to the show.

Shawn Hart:

You for having me. I appreciate you having me out.

Jennifer Glass:

Thank you. So, Sean, first of all, going from depression, going from being hit by a drunk driver, going from being arrested to being financially in control by the age of 31 is pretty impressive to begin with. Tell me more about, though, the early parts in terms of how you got past the depression, the, being hit by a drunk driver, and the being arrested part that we get to really understand who Sean was.

Shawn Hart:

I mean, to get past it, it’s it’s never easy. You know, it’s it’s definitely a mind game through and through. You’re constantly feeling worthless. You feel, you know, undeserving. You know, you really start to feel like nothing really matters. To to find the way out is it’s a lot of work internally. You have to have that those conversations with yourself really be able to build yourself up and, you know, take those baby steps that everybody talks about and understand that, You know, there’s a lot more to life than, you know, sports, which in my case is is what I lost out on. You know, to understand that there’s other things in life other than what you’re currently going through that are bigger and more important, and you need to find those things and really hold on to them and grasp to them as you climb out.

Jennifer Glass:

Absolutely. And like you said, it’s important to remember how we can climb out of whatever it is that we were stuck there. So let me just go back a little bit to the other part of the question, and that was the being hit by the drunk driver and the being arrested. So the sports, you lost because of being hit by the drunk driver. But walk me through if you’re willing to discuss that, how did we get from playing sports to being arrested.

Shawn Hart:

Yeah. So the the playing sports, I’ve done my whole life, so it’s just you know, that came kinda natural. After the car accident, it was, a situation of you know, they told me I may never walk again. They pronounced me dead on arrival when they showed up. I don’t remember anything from the car accident, so everything that I know has been told for me by the doctors, my family, the firefighters that showed up on scene. You know, they brought me to the hospital. I actually woke up to a staple in my ankle, and grown men holding me down because I tried to get up and leave. So to go from that point to arrested was really it was the right path at that time.

Shawn Hart:

You know, when when I started to get into that depressive state immediately after, you know, the doctor said you might never walk again. And, you know, I looked him dead in the face, and I said, I gotta get him next Friday. I’ll be up. So it was really just that was the direction my life was headed when they when they refused to let me play, football, they didn’t want me to wrestle that year. You know? They didn’t want me to do any sports going forward because they were afraid that I would either re injure it or aggravate a nerve. So it was really just the course and the path of my life and going to the point that I just didn’t care anymore.

Jennifer Glass:

So you hit rock bottom at that point in terms of not caring, not wanting to do things because sports was an integral part of your life, and you were told, no. You can’t do it and what have you.

Shawn Hart:

Yep.

Jennifer Glass:

When you were this was in your teenage years. Right?

Shawn Hart:

Yeah. I was 17.

Jennifer Glass:

So when you were 17, this happened to you. And you’re going through all of these issues in addition to normal teenage angst that we’re all dealing with. I mean, there’s, am I gonna be liked by other people? Does she like me? Does he like me? All of these other things are happening. And now you have this even bigger thing. Like part of your identity was stolen away from you. And so you ended up rebelling. You ended up doing a couple of bozo things, got in trouble, and you I had to pay the price, for doing it. But when you were going through that process, what was your endgame.

Jennifer Glass:

I mean, was there an endgame, or were you just, this is the moment, and I’m gonna take the moment?

Shawn Hart:

Realistically, it was in the moment, you know, opportunity. So when I first got arrested, it was for my senior prank. You know, it was funny that I know I was gonna get arrested. Not really, but, you know, there’s always a possibility. You know, it was just life like I said, it really didn’t matter at that point, so I just kinda went with the flow of things. I wasn’t hanging around the right people. You know, I wasn’t doing the right things. I was missing a lot of school.

Shawn Hart:

So it was just one thing after another leading down the wrong path, then, you know, ultimately, I got what I deserved.

Jennifer Glass:

Just as a point of curiosity, what was the senior prank?

Shawn Hart:

So me and my buddy actually took all the license plates off all the cars in the parking lot, and we threw them in a giant pile. And it took them about 6 hours to sort out.

Jennifer Glass:

It’s definitely an interesting senior prank.

Shawn Hart:

Oh, yeah. In the state of Florida, the state owns the license plate, so it’s actually a felony per license plate, minimum 3 years. You know, they were very understanding that it was a senior prank, and they ended up dropping it down to a misdemeanor for disturbing the peace.

Jennifer Glass:

And thank god for small favors.

Shawn Hart:

Yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer Glass:

Yeah. One thing just completely anecdotally on a side note, one of the things that I recently learned in a trip that my son and I took this, this summer up to Boston, and I think you may get a laugh out of the senior prank that Harvard back in the I believe it was 19 twenties or 19 thirties did. There’s a fish in the Massachusetts state house, in the house of representatives part of the state house, that, they stole. And they were not you know, nobody knew exactly who did it, but it was the seniors doing it. And the president of Harvard told them that if he, you know, if they didn’t return the fish, that they were going to cancel commencement that year. So eventually, the fish mysteriously wound up back in, the hands of the Massachusetts State House. Needless to say, when they rehung the fish, it was hung significantly higher so that nobody else would be able to do it again. But the license plate thing, that’s an entirely different thing.

Jennifer Glass:

You know? I mean, I think anyone would still be able to do that. Just remember, we’re not telling you to do it. We’re not saying it’s okay. It may very well be illegal to do it. And so if you are gonna do something stupid, think twice. Putting that aside and that little legal disclaimer that we just had to throw in there, so you go through all of these things as you’re growing up. And from the time you were 17 to 31, you had 14 years to really figure out what’s going on in your life, what is changing what is the direction that you wanna go on. Tell me, Sean, if you can, what was the decision and the low point other than being arrested I mean, that may be a the low point.

Jennifer Glass:

What was it, though, that made you say, alright. This is it, and I gotta go on a different trajectory?

Shawn Hart:

So the actual low point was the 2nd time I got arrested. I had made the conscious decision to move from Florida back up to upstate New York where, you know, I had a little bit of family up there. My dad and my sister were up there. And driving a 116 and a 55, texting and driving on a suspended license. You know, that’ll that’ll get you arrested. But I had started that transition point where I had said, you know, I I need to get out of here. I need to go somewhere where the mentality is work first and not work when you can. And Florida has a lot of that mentality.

Shawn Hart:

It’s a great place to live. Hands down. Don’t get me wrong. I love it there. Got a lot of friends and family there, But I need that I needed that environment at that time where the mentality was work. So I had started that transition, but when I had gotten arrested The 2nd time, that was really, you know, sitting in a jail cell, just that’s when it clicked. Like, you need to get this together. Like, this is now the 2nd time you’ve been arrested in, you know, 4 to 3 years, and, you know, it’s it’s time to grow up a little bit.

Jennifer Glass:

So once you decided to make that move up to upstate New York again, you went through figuring out, okay. So work first, not work when you can. It was giving you a little bit more of an idea in terms of at least a work ethic. But what made you go from work first to financially independent.

Shawn Hart:

It was definitely, you know, the real estate and building up to it. When I moved back to New York, I started working at a, convenience store, and I was doing 2nd shift and 3rd shift, 6 days a week is about 96 hours a week. That was kinda the turning point of, you know, let’s Pay off some of the debt that I racked up, and then I really my wife wanted to buy a house, and, you know, I said, I don’t really want a mortgage payment. So we ended up settling on a duplex, after her mother told her it was a good idea because when I say it, it’s not a good idea. Yep. We bought the duplex, and that was really where the transition took place. We bought that first property, And immediately, that was it for me. Like, the hook was set.

Jennifer Glass:

So when you were going through trying to figure out the real estate, what did you do that helped you other than the duplex figure out how to actually maneuver and navigate the real estate market. And I ask because you can win big or you can lose even bigger in the real estate market. So what did you do that really got you to the point? Like, who did you start following? What did you learn? Where did you go for all that information that you now had that idea, this is something I can really do.

Shawn Hart:

The very first person that I really, I don’t wanna say latched to, but understood and really helped me develop what I know today in real estate was actually Grant Cardone in his early days. You know, he had really just come on scene at that point and was starting to build that following and really starting to get pushed on YouTube and Facebook. You know, I’ve I’ve listened to some of this stuff, and, you know, obviously, I’m 22, 23 years old. You know, I don’t have $1,000,000 to go put into this huge multifamily complex is just not realistic for me, and I don’t have the family members to just Hand me all this money to be able to do it. You know? And so that was my my base level learning other than, you know, Google, YouTube. You know? You just kinda pick little things up here and there from those sites and other people you talk to in the community. You find people that own property. And, you know, it’s a small town.

Shawn Hart:

Everybody knows everybody up there. So, you know, you talk to them and kinda get an understanding of where they were at. So that was my my foundation.

Jennifer Glass:

So as you’re going through the real estate, were you doing more in the, fix and flip, were you doing more the rentals? What were you doing that really started you on that path, I mean, you mentioned the duplex, which was, you know, one side for you, the other side a tenant, we’re assuming. So what did you do after that? I mean, what was your magic sauce, if you will?

Shawn Hart:

So the magic sauce was that is actually the barrier to entry or the cost to actually buy properties in upstate New York. The housing market It’s so low there, and I I’m not recommending people buy there because they are very tenant friendly. But, you know, I didn’t know any different at the time. But the the cost of getting in was so low, especially with, like, a first time homebuyer alone, that I could get in for 6, $7,000, and I was able to move into the unit and rent the other side. So when we went to the 2nd house, we did the same thing. We went in, we lived in one side, we rented out the front, and then rented out the unit that we were living in at the previous house. So we actually did that 3 separate times before we had enough Rental income coming in to be able to go out and buy properties without moving into them at all. So these were ready made houses.

Shawn Hart:

You know, not top of the line, but they were sufficient for the area. I did a lot of the work myself when there were repairs that needed to be done until we got to a point where we were able to do a little bit more Without moving into these places.

Jennifer Glass:

So I’m just curious. When you say repairs, I mean, was that, like, crazy repairs, or was it just like there’s a hole in the wall, I can take a piece of sheetrock and just patch it.

Shawn Hart:

Depending on What you consider major and minor repairs, you know, my family my dad’s been in the plumbing industry for almost 30 years now. So at the time, it was a lot of plumbing you know, these houses were built in the late 1800, early 1900, so they’re using very, very outdated material, especially with plumbing so, you know, I’d go in and replace the plumbing. We’d go in. I don’t like touching electrical, so the most time, we’ll stay away from that. You know, you’re talking sheetrock, you’re talking brick foundation work, roofs, paint. You know, sometimes it’s just simple things, and Other times, it’s a lot more complex. But coming from that sort of background, it never really seemed that complex to me.

Jennifer Glass:

So just that I can make sure that we’re hearing the magic sauce was the low barrier in terms of the low price to get in to buy the property. You go. You buy the property. You move in. You got the next one a little bit more, but still the same idea. You do that again. And, eventually, now you’ve got free cash coming in that allows you to buy additional properties. So are you still in the rental side, or are you in the fix and flip? Are you mixed? How are you doing what you’re doing in your real estate portfolio?

Shawn Hart:

So now so we still do on long term rentals. Absolutely. We do still have a few up in New York. We do we’re in Georgia now. We moved down here about 3 years ago. So we actually got introduced. I got my real estate license. My wife has had hers.

Shawn Hart:

We got into, a brokerage here in Georgia that they are huge on there’s a 1000 ways to make money in real estate. And to me, that spoke to my soul. Yes. And that’s what I’m all about is finding every and any way possible to not only make money for myself, but to make money for The people that come in with us to just be able to flourish and be able to turn a profit and be able to have a true retirement Or whatever they choose to do with the money, really.

Jennifer Glass:

So you are now financially set, basically, short of a major correction, possibly forthcoming. But how do you now put that financial knowledge and the responsibility to not say, well, let’s just keep on going, or do you keep on going and roll the dice like you do in Vegas?

Shawn Hart:

I I wanna keep going. You know? I still have that drive, that passion. That’s really what truly took me out of that depression was finding This this market of, you know, being able to not only build something incredible for myself, but then in turn to pass that on to people my age and future generations and really be able to to show them how to thrive. Because with today’s market and, You know, the the way things have played out just in the last, we’ll say, 10 years, realistically, a four zero one k is not enough to retire anymore. So this is an alternative to really either build upon that 401 k or, in some cases, replace it altogether.

Jennifer Glass:

Are you using any of your retirement funds if you have any for your real estate venture?

Shawn Hart:

So all my real estate money comes or all my Retirement money comes from our real estate venture.

Jennifer Glass:

Okay. But you’re not using retirement funds to purchase real estate? No. Okay. I have a girlfriend of mine who that’s her entire model. She and her husband, they go everything is purchased with retirement funds, so it’s a lot easier that way on their side, but, again, everyone’s got their own way of doing it. So when we look though at having the mindset, and this is where I really wanna kinda peel the onion a little bit. If we look at the mindset when you were younger. And, again, the developing brain up until 25, we know, does a lot of bozo things.

Jennifer Glass:

You know, when you decided to take the license plates, you were driving a 114 in a 50 zone, you know, all of those kinds of things that you are doing. But when you are now with a family, things are much different in terms of the process. How do you get there to say, I can do this now instead of saying, well, I can really you know, I mean, your mindset back then, 96 hours that you were working on a convenience store, probably earning, you know, 8 to $10 an hour when you were doing it to now being I’ve got a lot more cash coming in. How do you manage your own financial health knowing that you’ve got where you work to where you are because a lot of people, they won the lottery as an example. Most lottery winners end up broke in a couple years. So how do you do that?

Shawn Hart:

I feel like one of the the big benefits to starting out in the rentals is that it’s incremental growth. So it’s it’s a little bit at a time. And, you know, it’s not it’s not like winning the lottery. The lottery, you’re gonna get Just 1,000,000 of dollars dumped in your lab. Right? With the real estate, when you buy that next property, it might only be $200 a month, So in in free cash flow after expenses. So it’s not a real incremental like, this huge gap of, oh, I’ve got an extra $2,000 a month. So it really helps you budget along the way. And when I so, like, with the family aspect, so I’ve never stopped working.

Shawn Hart:

You know? I I work 80, 90 hours a week to this day. But now I’m doing it because it’s my passion and not because I’m trying to get to somewhere. So when I look at work and, You know, my my wife is just a godsend because she is onboard, a 100% supportive. You know, she’s always there. She takes on the kids a lot of the times and you know? And especially when she needs help, you know, There’s times when I’m not there to help her and she just pushes through. So that’s you know, all all the respect in the world of my wife, I love her to death. And to be able to it’s not that much of a change in lifestyle for me, because I’m a very simple person. Like, working is my passion.

Shawn Hart:

You know, real estate is my passion. So for me, I don’t go out and spend tons of money. I, you know, I have a decent truck, but, You know, I don’t have a multimillion dollar home. I’m not interested in that stuff. So for me, it’s just keeping it simple, you know, understanding that you need to live within your means, And just continuing to grow, not just in business, but personally.

Jennifer Glass:

So let me ask you, mister monopoly, because I got a you’re real estate tycoon. Why not? Okay. And no trademark infringement, please, Parker Brothers. But if we’re looking at somebody who is looking at getting started, right, someone who’s listening right now, and they can relate to your story. They maybe did bozo things as kids. And for a while, I served on the juvenile conference committee here in New Jersey, which is a by statute, it is, part of the judiciary here in New Jersey to help the kids that do stupid things, misdemeanors, low level felonies avoid being adjudicated again. So I know a lot of these kids that did similar things like what you did. But if one of those kids might be listening right now and they’re listening to your story, what do they need to know to say, this is something you should look at.

Jennifer Glass:

And, again, we’re not asking you to give guarantees because it’s impossible. Nobody can guarantee real estate is going to appreciate as much as it has over the last, you know, several decades. But how do you give counsel or guidance to someone who may want to tiptoe in before dipping in the deep end are jumping in the deep end.

Shawn Hart:

I would say the biggest thing, the most helpful thing that any any younger person that’s really trying to figure it out and change their life, you need to find a mentor, you know, someone that is willing to take you under their wing And kinda teach you what they know and really give you something, a goal, A goal to drive for is when you have goals, it can completely change the direction of your life. So I would say definitely a mentor first and Major goals second.

Jennifer Glass:

Thank you. So when we’re looking at the goals, what should some of those goals actually be?

Shawn Hart:

So for myself, when I first started in real estate, One of my goals was to hit a $1,000,000 network. That was the big thing. You know, I that’s what I wanted. You know, some of my smaller goals were Just to put in the extra hours, you know, studying the real estate or, you know, even going to work an extra day just to make a little bit extra money, Just kinda teeter myself to that next property a little bit sooner. But that that $1,000,000 net worth was always, Yeah. The big goal when I first started, and I mean, you know, come come to find out I mean, don’t get me wrong. Like, it’s fantastic to hit a $1,000,000 net worth. When you get there, you realize you still really don’t have any money because all your money’s being reinvested.

Shawn Hart:

It’s, you know, So now like, one of my goals now is I want to get to that $50,000,000 network.

Jennifer Glass:

So I’m curious to know when we’re talking about that $1,000,000, and that’s a number that you hear all the time, I wanna get $1,000,000. That’s the magic number. And, I mean, you talk to so many different entrepreneurs, and it’s the same number. It’s $1,000,000. What was that allure to you that was $1,000,000. I mean, we can certainly do the Austin Powers $1,000,000. But and if you aren’t watching this on video, just imagine me holding my pinky up to my lip and saying that. But, yes, thank you, Mike Myers.

Jennifer Glass:

But how would we, I mean, what was the magic about the 1,000,000 and the 50,000,000 now that you’re talking about?

Shawn Hart:

So I think it’s, a lot of it has to do with a common misconception. Right? So when people think of a millionaire, right, they they automatically assume you have $1,000,000 in the bank. No. No. You do not. You have a net worth of $1,000,000. So in my case, I don’t have $1,000,000 just sitting around, kicking, you know, in a bucket somewhere. The reality is I have over $1,000,000 in properties and assets, things that make me money.

Shawn Hart:

I don’t make $1,000,000. I will, but not currently. So that’s one of those things where I said, you know, I wanna get to that 50,000,000 in net worth Because that should return me somewhere between 8, 9,000,000 a year in actual income coming back to me. So that was kinda the allure was I didn’t realize that either at the time. It was like, oh, I’m gonna have $1,000,000, and then, you know, you do some research net worth. And when you really in my case, when I hit it, I was like, okay. So let’s go on to the next goal because I still feel like I haven’t accomplished anything near where I thought I was gonna accomplish by this time.

Jennifer Glass:

And thank you for that explanation because I think a lot of people that are listening are really going to get a lot of value from that point specifically. Obviously, we’re trying to figure out exactly how we can do it, where we can do it, and, understanding that it’s not like you said you actually have $1,000,000 sitting there in the bank. And one thing just as an aside, one of the other things you really wanna think about, and I wanna take a little educational moment, right here. When you say you wanna make $1,000,000, you have to also base that $1,000,000 on what you’re valuing each hour at because too many of us are valuing our hours way too low. We hear the whole I I mean, several years ago, there was a whole push, the $15 minimum wage.

Shawn Hart:

Oh, yeah.

Jennifer Glass:

And without getting into the whole argument of minimum wage not being designed for adults, talking about minimum wage, it is the kind of mindset that we’re taught in school that you go, you get a job, and you work for whatever your salary is, and you’re gonna get the a, b, c, and d, and you’re gonna whatever. But if you really wanna make the $1,000,000, you have to value your hour at $521 or more per hour. And I say that it and we’re gonna walk through the math really quickly here. You work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year. If you work at $521 an hour, it’s gonna give you a little over $1,000,000 for the year. That doesn’t mean every single thing you do has to be coming in at $521 or more per hour. But understand that you can’t be going out for things that are valued at $5 an hour if you want to be at that $1,000,000. So you really wanna be thinking, how do you do that? How do you get there? And how do you grow? And start thinking more strategically in the millionaire mindset, how much time is this going to take instead of, is this gonna cost me $10 to do? Because there’s a very big difference in terms of the way that you operate when you can see it that way.

Jennifer Glass:

And I actually when I do speaking engagements and places make me put down cost is free. I say no way, no how will I do a speaking engagement if you’re putting down cost is free. I just won’t do it. You say cost is 2 hours. Absolutely. I will do it, but I will never do it. Cost is free now that I’m off my soapbox. So we have this idea now of the 15,000,000 that’s gonna be producing 8, $9,000,000 in annualized returns for you, that’s actual cash that you can kinda be looking at.

Jennifer Glass:

If you’re looking at fulfilling that goal, is there anything specific in the real estate side that you are looking at now to say this is that magic thing that can really take me from $1,000,000 net worth to 50 times that.

Shawn Hart:

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. So currently, you know, we have our long term rentals, and, you know, we’re doing some fix and Flips are actually working on 1 now. We’re buying another one here in the next week. You know? So that definitely helps. It kinda adds that value, but those are just instant cash with the fix and flips. You know? They’re not a long term solution. So what we’re actually doing is we’re buying land here in Georgia, And we are buying it for anywhere from, you know, $3,000 to $15,000, And then we’re turning around, and we’re selling that to somebody else, and we are becoming the bank, so we’re gonna hold that note for them.

Shawn Hart:

They’re gonna put roughly 5 to $7,000 down, and then we’re gonna hold on to that property, and they’re gonna pay us every single month For the next 10 to 15 years for that property, so now we are the bank. And that just adds to the the rental side where it’s a long term play a little bit of a cash flow every month to really continue to build up what we currently have, but it also allows us to really Bring people in and help them understand, like, you don’t have to deal with tenants in this situation. It’s a raw piece of land. You are selling it to somebody else, But you are the bank, so you own the property. You still have an interest in the property. So if they don’t pay you, you take the property back, And then you can do it all over again for another 10 or 15 years. And it really when you stack those, especially with such a low Entry cost of that 5 to 15,000. This is a great play for people, you know, especially in the middle class.

Shawn Hart:

They got a couple grand. They wanna do investments, but they can’t afford 30, $40,000 down to go get into the rental game. They can’t afford, you know, To pay cash for these properties like these big companies, but you can get 5 to 15,000 together, and you Buy a little piece of land, and you get that cash flow. And that down payment will either give you all your money back or give you a good portion of of your money back To be able to have a cash flow and then do it again.

Jennifer Glass:

Just as a side thing, and I know this wasn’t the original intent to the show, but I’m going to do this while we’re still talking on the show. Would you consider investing outside of Georgia, say, in California?

Shawn Hart:

No. So the reason I do Georgia is, 1, because I’m licensed in Georgia.

Jennifer Glass:

Okay.

Shawn Hart:

And the property values in Georgia are going up exponentially, especially along the I 85 corridor. I know Georgia. I don’t know California. I don’t go into markets that I don’t know, and I don’t go into markets that are heavily in favor of And it’s for lack of better terms on the land side.

Jennifer Glass:

Okay. When you’re looking at the next, say, 3 years, and there’s so many variables that go into that. But if you’re looking at the next 3 years, where do you see yourself being.

Shawn Hart:

In the next 3 years? Well, my goal in the next 5 is to get to that 50,000,000, And so I figure I’ll be somewhere around 30. We’re around 30,000,000 in net worth. Realistically, I see myself buying a lot in Jacksonville, Florida. I see myself continuing to buy a ton here in Georgia, especially the land. You know, land is hard to come by in Florida, and it’s very expensive. But here in Georgia, there’s a lot of areas that you can still buy it very cheap And, you know, get that return because the it all that growth is coming up, and you can really capitalize off of that. So, I mean, I see myself Not living in a mansion because I have no interests. You know? At some point, I will get a private jet.

Shawn Hart:

Yeah. That’s something that I’ve always wanted. But I see myself not only personally, like, things for me, But I see myself helping thousands of people. You know? That is always at the end of the day, if you don’t give back, then it’s meaningless. Going to the top by yourself is pointless. The goal is always to bring people up with you, and I am huge, huge. Like, this is my number one thing. I will give you a hand up any day of the week.

Shawn Hart:

I will never give a handout.

Jennifer Glass:

Absolutely. And thank you. So one other question as we’re talking about the next 3 years and being in a position you aren’t saying you’re successful at this point. But what does success mean to you?

Shawn Hart:

Honestly, I still don’t I just still don’t consider myself successful. I’ve got so many bigger goals, so many More heights, so much more room to grow that I don’t I don’t know if I could even say that I’m I’m successful or a success story. I’m just, You know, honestly, at the end of the day, I’m I’m just a country boy, and, you know, I’m just trying to to make my way and help others and and bring them up along the way with me and do the best that I can. So, I mean, as far as the success, We’ll do another podcast in 5 years when I hit that 50,000,000.

Jennifer Glass:

Sounds good. Let me ask you. I’m just wondering. I mean, if you were to quantify what the idea would mean for you, is the idea the 50,000,000? Is the idea that you’ve helped the thousands of others? I mean, what is that idea that now you’re successful?

Shawn Hart:

The idea is to create financial freedom, not only for myself but for others, to to get your time back. Is the time is the one thing that everybody is limited to. You never know when when your time is gonna be called. So to be able to have that and and truly Live a life, not just go to work, come home, spend 2, 3 hours with your family, go to bed, and do it all over again. Like, there’s just too many people going to work, and they’re just breaking their backs just trying to provide for their family. It’s just not right. It just doesn’t sit well with me. Like, we work so hard in this country.

Shawn Hart:

You deserve To go on those vacations, you deserve to have the new cars and not have to lose sleep over it.

Jennifer Glass:

Right. And, I mean, that’s exactly the point. It is, you know, how do I do more? How can I get more, and go from there? So let me let me ask you, Sean. People have been listening to this conversation. They’re really interested. They want maybe to be getting into real estate on their own. How would they be able to reach out to you to connect with you?

Shawn Hart:

So they can reach out to me to my email. It’s my first name, Shawn, s h a w n, at r and d realty, so it’s 2 d’s, a n d.com, or on TikTok, which is seanhart two thirty. I haven’t done a lot of videos lately, but I’m getting back into it. That’s one of my goals this year before the end of the year is to really start ramping up those videos again because I think they’re very helpful. Honestly, it gives people direct contact to be able to, you know, work with me me work with them and really be able to help them along the way.

Jennifer Glass:

Thank you. And as you’re going through the process, keep in mind also where you really need to be so that you know you’ve got a couple of realistic ideas and a couple of other grander ideas in terms of what you can be doing. Like Sean was saying, the $1,000,000 in, net worth right now is not $1,000,000 in cash flow right now. It is $1,000,000 net worth. And, eventually, when he’s got the 50,000,000 in 5 years, there’s gonna be a much different conversation. So, Sean, once again, thank you so much for being my guest today. I think our listeners got a lot of value. And thank you.

Jennifer Glass:

So in wrapping it up, we really need to remember, like I said, know where your starting point is. Know where you’re trying to go. Too often, we do get bogged down with the ideas of, oh, look. The Joneses are doing this, the Swartzes are doing that, and the Jamses are doing something else. Not everyone is dealing with the same set of basics. Everyone starts at a certain place. You heard Sean talk about him getting injured. You heard him talk about being arrested.

Jennifer Glass:

You heard about his story moving up to upstate New York and how that resulted in I am working 96 hours to get some sort of livable wage, but it wasn’t at the point where Sean thought it made sense yet. And what made him realize he needed to do something different? If you can really figure out what is it that I want, what is it that is going to be successful for me, and how do I gauge success? What does that mean? And I talk about this in my keynote to success equate to happiness, but how does that all impact where we are and what we’re going to be doing. If you really can figure out what you’re doing and you have, as Shawn said, a good mentor that is going to help you in that process. You’re going to be going down that path and definitely reach out to Sean. Follow Sean on TikTok and social so that you can figure out more. How do I do this? How do I do that? And see if there’s a nugget that Sean would share to really figure out what else, even more than what you’ve heard in this podcast, you can use to really be helping you in your business. On that note, this has been another episode of Mojo, the meaning of life and business. And until next time, here’s to your success.