Opt Out Life

Do you think the system is rigged against you? Big money wins, little guy loses. That’s not an un-common way to feel. Today’s guest is Will Lehr. Will’s an investment consultant whose spent the past two decades in the financial services industry. These days, his business is the “Opt Out” version of that world and it’s called Perpetual Assets. Precious metals. Cryptocurrency. IRA LLCs . . . these are his (and his clients) alternatives to the vanilla IRA’s and 401k’s that so many of us have...

Imagine you are at the peak of your career. Then the 2008 market meltdown takes you down with it. You liquidate what you can and move your whole family into your mom’s house. I’m sure today’s guest isn’t the only one who was forced to make such humbling decisions. But like so many entrepreneurs, Travis Houston rose from the ashes, and reinvented himself. He is the founder and CEO of Launchr, a marketing agency that focuses on growing businesses that need to take their sales to the next...

We sit down with the co-founder of one of the fastest growing companies in San Diego, Adam Harris. His company, Cloudbeds, just hit Inc’s list at number 75. Their software helps hospitality properties manage their business. This all started when Adam and his partner Richard - who are avid travelers - abandoned their previous consulting jobs and started a company with a unique model that they still follow today: Cloudbeds has completely decentralized staff in 35 countries. Their unique work...

Mike Kamo is a still-young professional who started his career on a pre-set path to take over his family’s car dealership. Mike started in the business right out of school had worked his way up to managing the operation over 8 years when he hit the existential crisis we just described. Was this for him? 7 days a week, selling cars? Mike switched course. He has leveraged an unlikely friendship with famed internet marketer Neil Patel into a new "Opt Out" career in digital marketing. More at...

Our guest is Joshua Allen, a San Diego entrepreneur who we like to call “The Gentleman of Trash”. His business is trash, but he doesn’t do any of the disposal. He’s a middleman. In true Opt Out fashion, this business started as a side hustle. After going to college on a football scholarship, Josh jumped into trash brokering. He's a seasoned real estate investor, and also survived some serious health scares that forced him to emerge with a new plan on work/life balance. More at...

Today’s guest is Christian Chasmer. At just 26, he’s the Founder of Elevate Advisors, the Author of a book called “Lose Your Limits: Grow Your Business”, and most importantly, after finding his own success in business and real estate, he now helps others re-find the balance that we call “opt out”. So what’s the story? How does a guy in his mid-20’s know how to help CEO’s tame their companies, work less and keep more profit? Listen along for Christian’s story from college hustler, to real...

It’s 2018 and unless you’re living under a rock, you must be curious about what’s happening in the cannabis industry. In our world today, no other industry is more ever-changing. This isn’t about smoking joints with your friends. Our guests are Adriaan Zimmerman and Ret Taylor. They’re the founders of Ned. A health and wellness company centered around hemp infused products. Launched earlier this year, Ned sells all natural full spectrum hemp in the form of oils, body butter, and lip balms...

This episode is the story of an LA cop. Most people who are in the force are there for life. The same goes for the fire department, and any number of other civil service jobs. But, it turns out that a lot of them have side gigs...and sometimes, those side gigs "go big". Our guest is Tim Bourquin. Tim was on the force in LA for several years when one Christmas eve, after dropping off his wife and young daughter before heading to a 12 hour shift, he made up his mind. He was tired of not being...

Our guest today is Adam Moyer. He’s the founder of the 13-year-old company called Knockaround. He went to school to pursue his interest in art, and started his little sunglass side hustle on a whim while still in college. Adam’s premise was simple: everyone should have a couple of high quality sunglasses that were cheap enough to consider “knockarounds.” Today, his business is on pace for $10 million in revenue. Adam’s never had a “real job” and has found his way through trial-and-error to a...

Recorded on location in France, Dana sips wine with Norwegian rockstar and restauranteur Frederick Sorea. People often think that musicians are rolling in cash and fame. But most of them somewhere in between. And that’s good news for creatives who want the “opt out” approach to life. Frederick’s story is proof that you can build a band just like you can build a business, and have THAT provide a nice living, opportunity for travel, and an outlet for your creativity. You can end up mildly...

In a world where we are glued to our screens, is there a better word to snap you out of your trance than “Aloha”? It’s a word that means all things good, as we learn from guest Kahana Kalama. Kahana owns a lifestyle brand called Aloha Beach Club. He grew up surfing, and then later toured as a pro surfer. But he was always more interested in how the business behind surfing, and surf brands, worked. Today, he is a successful “Opt Outer” who mixes family time with his business ventures, travel,...

We're on location at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, with Riley Brown. And we have a confession to make. You don’t have to leave your job to opt out! This episode shows exactly how someone can opt in and opt out all at the same time. There are plenty of people who feel in control of their lifestyle - who travel, do meaningful work, and live a life they enjoy day-in-day out, well before retirement - who are, gasp, “opted in”. Our guest will show you exactly how this can play out. He’s in...

How do you take your coffee? Do you like it black? With cream? Slow roasted? Or with sugar? Let us pour you a hot cup as you sit back for today’s story. Our guest is Chuck Patton, founder of an award winning local coffee roaster named Bird Rock Coffee. Chuck didn’t know he would end up an award winning coffee roaster. He didn’t expect to take a major career shift away from being a teacher and head down the entrepreneurial path. Would you believe he opened his coffee roaster right across the...

This episode’s guest - Jack Haldrup - had a somber realization at a young age. One day, Jack was on a plane, returning home from a project for that job. His mind raced. That thought came back again. He wasn’t fulfilled in his work. So he made a promise. Jack decided right then and there, in a cramped airplane seat, to come up with business idea before getting off his flight. And he came up with just one idea: men’s soap. We talk through his story to hear about how he launched a company off...

This is the story of Ariel White. She is a creative hustler who has found the perfect balance of work and serenity in the hills of Topanga Canyon. We talk through her story, surrounded by the art and photography of her husband, who is himself a successful creative entrepreneur. Ariel’s business is called MyLittleYoni.com. What’s a ‘Yoni’? Here, it’s a characterized version of a vagina, in the form of stuffed dolls that are handcrafted in Bali. This isn’t some obscure fetish. Ariel is on an...

George Esquivel makes shoes. That may not sound remarkable. But, it is. It is remarkable because he makes shoes in the U.S., where everything seems to have been outsourced. It is remarkable because of where his story begins. From driving a delivery truck, to the highest realms of the fashion industry, Esquivel has gained fans and clients that include musicians, models, and Hollywood’s elite. How did George pull this off? Grit, audacity, and the gracious advice of people you’ve probably heard...

This on-location episode is the story of Todd Wente, a former 9-5’er who is living proof that a person with a job and a career can transform into an opted-out master of their own domain, who lives anywhere they choose. Even if that choice is a tiny Swedish town. Todd didn’t launch a venture funded company, sell a business, or get a big payout. He’s a regular joe, whose living the opt out life abroad. A lot of people dream of writing a book. Well, Todd did it, and he’s built a new career as a...

In 1997, a young businessman got a wild idea. He and his partner would strike up a business deal with the King of Western Samoa. The plan? To use the tiny island country’s rights to the “.ws” domain extension to create a new “website” alternative for the world to use. Incredibly, that young businessman (our guest, Alan Ezeir) pulled it off, and built a very profitable lifestyle business that made everyone involved a lot of money. We caught up with Alan to learn about how he’s hustled since...

Dana Robinson is a co-host of this podcast, author of the book Opt Out, and the real life version of "the most interesting man in the world". His life story includes stints as a pastor, a lawn boy, an attorney, a property manager, a published author, and a full-blooded entrepreneur who’s seen inside the stories of businesses as varied as you can imagine. High end fashion? Wine barrels? Christian audiobooks? As you’ll hear, we’re only scratching the surface of the man, the myth and the...

Imagine your doorbell rings. You walk over, open the door, and standing right in front of you is William Shatner and those two Property Brothers from HGTV. And a film crew. Sound crazy? Our guest today made that story come true for a Star Trek and HGTV superfan, through his most recent venture, Guru Global. His name is Gabe Douek. When he’s not steering the ship of GuruHub.TV with his partners, he’s following his peculiar love of all things travel - from airlines and airports, to big...