In this episode of Burning the Ships, host Jason Seward flies solo to share something that started as a career day presentation at his kids' school and turned into one of the most universally applicable episodes he has put together.

Jason was asked to present on finance and his career to a group of high schoolers — and ended up with fourth graders in the room too after a presenter no-showed. He had to scrap his entire deck on the fly and break everything down to its simplest form. What came out of it were ten life rules that he walked those kids through, rules that turned out to be just as relevant for adults as they were for nine year olds. The best question of the day came from a fourth grader, and it reminded Jason that kids are always paying closer attention than we think.

This episode is a reminder of the fundamentals — the things that sound simple but most people are not consistently doing. If you have kids, this one is worth sharing with them. If you are an adult building something, it is worth asking yourself honestly whether you are living all ten of these rules or just preaching them.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Your reputation is your currency and other people are the ones defining it

00:50 Why Jason is flying solo again — 608B Capital growth and team building demands

02:11 The career day presentation that turned into this episode

03:05 Getting thrown into presenting to fourth graders with no preparation

04:38 Why these ten rules apply to every age and every area of life

08:52 Rule two — Be early, not just on time, and what Jason's grandfather JJ modeled about this

11:05 Why being early signals an extra level of respect for people and situations

12:15 Rule three — Work hard when no one is watching

13:31 Kobe Bryant showing up at 5am before anyone else arrived and what that compounded into

14:24 Doing things for others when no recognition or return is coming

17:07 Rule five — Don't be afraid to ask questions, ego is what silences them

18:38 The fastest learners ask the most questions regardless of how they land

19:03 Rule six — Read and learn constantly, not just what school forces on you

20:33 Self-inflicted education as the real driver of growth and the ability to help others

20:56 Rule seven — Take care of your body, it is the only vehicle you get

24:52 Are the five people around you lifting you up or pulling you back down

26:30 Rule nine — Proactively choose to do hard things, not just the ones life forces on you

27:14 Reps of hard choices build confidence and the ability to take on more

31:42 Are you modeling these ten things for your kids or just preaching them

33:12 The closet and the truck — when his wife called him out for preaching what he wasn't living

38:15 How his daughter's Instagram algorithm led him to his next podcast guest

Quotables

"Most people eliminate themselves from an opportunity simply by not showing up."

"If you were supposed to be somewhere at noon, he'd be there at 11. That was my grandfather."

"Work hard when nobody is watching. That's where the real reps happen."

"Your reputation is your main currency in life. Spend it wisely."

"Silencing your questions equals slow growth."

"You are given one body. You have a responsibility to take care of it."

"Look around at the five people you spend the most time with. Are they lifting you up or pulling you back down?"

"If you're waiting to feel ready, that is the fastest way to stay stuck."

"Action gives you experience. Experience gives you confidence. Repeat that cycle and it works every time."

Links

608B Capital https://608bcapital.com

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I break down one of the most misunderstood reasons people don’t take action — and it’s not fear. It’s comfort.

Too many people blame fear for staying stuck, but the reality is much simpler. When there’s no urgency, no clarity, and no real consequences for staying the same, people stay exactly where they are. A “good enough” life becomes the trap that keeps them from ever reaching their full potential.

I walk through the three real reasons people don’t take action, how I experienced this firsthand leaving a high-income W-2 career to pursue entrepreneurship, and how these same principles apply to health, business, and even personal challenges like stepping into something completely new. If you’ve ever felt like you’re capable of more but can’t seem to move, this episode will help you understand why — and what to do about it.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Why lack of consequences keeps people stuck in comfort

00:23 The biggest regret people have at the end of their life — unfulfilled potential

01:12 Why this solo episode exists and what Jason is diving into

02:02 Taking massive imperfect action and building a relationship with risk

02:38 Why fear is not the real reason people don’t take action

03:05 Comfort and lack of urgency as the real problem

04:02 Why a “good life” can actually hold you back

05:02 The first reason people don’t act — lack of clarity

06:06 Why too many options create paralysis instead of progress

07:25 The biggest factor — no consequences for staying the same

07:49 Jason’s story of staying comfortable in a high-income insurance career

09:10 Why most people wait until things become painful before acting

09:54 How clarity gave him the ability to leave and pursue real estate

11:20 The pressure and doubt that come with removing your safety net

12:23 What an unfulfilled life would have looked like if he stayed

16:10 Stop blaming fear — it’s a clarity and comfort issue

16:58 Why unfulfilled potential is the ultimate consequence

17:23 Lessons from the DealMaker Conference and Chuck Glover

18:16 Why most people never define the consequences deeply enough

19:01 You’re not stuck — you’re comfortable

19:45 How to create urgency through accountability and pressure

20:39 The danger of staying comfortable doing the same thing every day

24:38 Setting clear goals: blue belt and competition

26:06 Competing for the first time and overcoming doubt

27:05 How clarity, commitment, and consequences drove action

28:13 Why you must create urgency if it doesn’t exist

29:08 The danger of having a “Plan B” mindset

30:09 Why people never put themselves in a position where they have to act

30:31 Living a life of constant growth and chasing potential

Quotables

“You’re not stuck. You’re comfortable.”

“Most people don’t lack courage — they lack urgency.”

“A good life is what keeps most people from a great one.”

“You can’t attack something you can’t define.”

“Too many options lead to zero action.”

“If nothing has to change, nothing will.”

“The ultimate consequence is unfulfilled potential.”

“Stop blaming fear. It’s clarity and comfort.”

“Create the pressure if it doesn’t exist.”

“Burning the ships is about removing the option to retreat.”

Links

608B Capital https://608bcapital.com

Burning the Ships Podcast Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Tom Dunkel — managing principal of Eagle Capital Investments, co-founder of U.S. Mortgage Resolution, self-storage investor, and a guy who spent ten years in corporate mergers and acquisitions before getting fired in 2006 and never looking back.

Tom walks us through a career that started with aerospace deals and Harvard MBAs in DC, ran through a firing that turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him, and evolved into a 20-year entrepreneurial journey that has generated close to $70 million in revenue. From wholesaling to distressed mortgage debt to a $55 million self-storage portfolio, Tom and his business partner Joe have built and rebuilt multiple times — and learned hard lessons each time about niching down, building teams, and creating a business that works without you.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Why niching down is the difference between businesses that succeed and ones that fail

01:41 Tom's background — William and Mary, corporate M&A, and the aerospace industry

03:21 Building financial models and raising capital alongside Harvard and Wharton MBAs

04:27 Getting fired in 2006 and why his ships were probably burned before that anyway

05:07 Having a wife and two young kids at home when the decision was made for him

05:53 Getting his face bashed in through the Great Recession as a brand new entrepreneur

06:20 Building U.S. Mortgage Resolution into a business that generated nearly $70 million

13:22 Walking out of a dream job interview because a voice in his head said don't do it

23:42 Discovering discounted mortgage notes and how his finance background made it click

34:37 Discovering self-storage through Scott Myers and doing the work before buying anything

35:52 Buying their first storage facility in 2020 and scaling to 18 or 19 facilities

36:37 Syndicating nearly all of the storage deals and raising about $20 million from investors

38:16 Building the business intentionally so it never became a full-time job for either of them

39:33 The mindset of running everything from an iPad on the beach — even back when iPads were new

44:38 Reading The E-Myth and why Darren Hardy's advice to build your life plan first changed everything

45:47 The early days of late night phone calls and grinding before the systems were in place

49:08 Advice on raising kids while building a business — prioritize, plan, and show up

50:13 A holistic view of education — scouting, music, and sports alongside the classroom

52:12 Eagle Capital Investments and how Tom helps investors transition into passive wealth

Quotables

"The riches are in the niches."

"I got my face bashed in during the Great Recession trying to learn how to be an entrepreneur."

"There's no such thing as corporate job security. I can go figure it out on my own."

"I heard this little voice in my head saying don't do it. So I pulled my name from consideration."

"Build your life plan first. Then build your business plan to fit inside of it."

"If you're not careful, you don't build a business — you just build a job for yourself."

"Go look at your calendar and your bank statements. That's what you're really focused on."

"You've got to find the niche and go deep in it."

Links

608B Capital https://608bcapital.com

Eagle Capital Investments https://investwitheagle.com

The Wealth Builders Playbook by Tom Dunkel Available at investwitheagle.com