I was born in 1971 in Vancouver, Canada, and went to Magee Secondary School in Kerrisdale. After graduating in 1989, I moved to Ottawa and received my Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Marketing and Finance from Carleton University in 1993.

My first career job was in commercial banking with the Bank of Montreal but I soon accepted a position as the Credit Manager for Pimlico Apparel, a contract demin manufacturer for The Gap, Levis and Guess Jeans. Pimlico also had a division called International Denim (now ID Wear) serving the promotional products marketplace. It didn’t take long and I was asked to spearhead their new sales effort.

Unexpectedly, I discovered that I qualify for US citizenship in 1998 and quickly put the wheels in motion to get all my paperwork in order. I moved to Los Angeles just six days after receiving my first American passport and accepted a position as the Regional Sales Manager for two large promotional products wholesalers located in Tennessee and Rhode Island respectively. My territory included the 13 western states so I was traveling like crazy.

Traveling was fun. I was just 27 years old and I got to see a lot of different cities in a very short period of time. Besides, I had an expense account and ate sushi at least three times each week. I could think of worse situations!

With the dot.com bubble inflating quickly, I was offered a position as the Business Development Manager for MadeToOrder.com and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in January 2000. Three months later, the bubble burst and lay-offs quickly became the word of the day. After surviving 12 rounds, I was finally added to the list in September 2002 and I decided to take the opportunity to finally become self-employed.

My first venture involved the liquidation of seller-financing business notes in the low-level M&A market. I wrote and published Strategies for Seller Financing in that business and distributed over 2,000 copies to Business Brokers across the country. Although I found a lot of clients, it was a feast or famine business and I soon became frustrated with the unpredictable nature of that business.

I obtained my notary commission in July 2003 and started a loan signing business. That was a huge success. Within six months, I was billing over $1,800 per week. At that point in my life, it was the most money I had ever made. But the occupation required extensive driving (850 miles per week) and a frantic schedule with most evenings and weekends booked solid. I decided to get my real estate license and originate residential mortgage loans instead.

I started doing loans in May 2004 and learned a ton about the real estate business and residential finance. But it was never a good fit for me. Those are shark infested waters and I hated the way brokers were forced to compete with each other. I wrote Loans & Lenders; a Guide for Buyers & Borrowers that same year to help establish some credibility in the field. Then I started the “Beyond the Rate” podcast series and quickly realized the internet was the best place for me to devote my efforts. At latest count, the series has been downloaded over 50,000 times in 27 different countries.

The success of Beyond the Rate led me to continue recording podcasts and developing my online presence. It led to more podcasts, one called Financial Audio and another called Tactical Execution. Soon, I was asked to give workshops about my success online and that led naturally to my books, educational products and speaking career.

The internet literally slapped me across the face. I had no idea of the power with internet marketing and I truly enjoy showing others what opportunities exist. This has been an exciting but convoluted path for me and I can’t wait to see where I am in another two or three years!