Michael Hearn Jr is an active-duty service member and founder of Valion Capital LLC, a firm that is leading, creating, and delivering excellence through Real Estate Investments. Growing up in Southern California, Michael became fascinated with commercial real estate.
His father served in various executive-level positions serving as Directors of Real Estate, and, with his ear to the door, Michael was eager to learn more about real estate investing.
In 2006, Michael Hearn Jr. enlisted in the US Navy as an Aviation Structural Mechanic where he complete two tours of duty. Afterward, while still enlisted in active duty, Michael’s love for real estate led to the formation of his successful capital firm.
What we discuss in this episode:
02:25 – David briefly recounts his time in the military and feels that if every boy and girl in the USA could spend eight weeks in boot camp, whether they wanted to serve or not, it would positively impact and change their lives for good. The perspective that we could gain from that experience would be second to none.
04:02 – The military is interesting because while service members fight for democracy, there isn’t much democracy inside the organization. They aren’t interested in your opinions — there’s no suggestion box. It’s a matter of life and death and you are there to take orders and execute flawlessly because people’s lives depend on it each day.
David finds Michael incredibly interesting because not only is he an active service member who lives within a very structured existence within the military, but he’s also an entrepreneur which comes with it many unstructured aspects.
07:19 – David asks, “But if I was to ask your friends who knew you, your parents. Um, who are your teachers, anything like that when you were 5, 6, 7, 8 years old? And I said, what was this guy’s personality? Like, what would they say?”
“…Extremely outgoing. Um, a lot of my teachers actually at that age told me, um, I was too smart for my own good because I couldn’t sit still right in class. Uh, get stuff done really quick and then be bored. Um, so that’s, it was just very energetic. Always just go, go, go, get stuff done. Very personable. A lot of people always told me I was like eight going on 80. Um, just I’ve always, I guess, had that outgoing personality. So very comfortable. For example, talking to adults as a kid. Absolutely. Where’d that come from? Uh, my parents, I mean, my dad was a businessman. Uh, I used to go to his, you know, office all the time and, uh, so I’ve met, you know, powerful people, uh, you know, at least perception-wise as a kid.”
08:19 – Michael shares that he learned how to speak and behave around adults thanks to his father who was either a Director or Vice President at the companies he worked for. “You’re meeting other executive-level people. You’re meeting CEOs and COOs and different high-level people and you have to learn how to carry yourself in a way that you’re not coming across as just another child. You’re also not afraid to talk to them either because even as a kid, they put their pants on the same way you do.”
11:30 – Michael reflects on his past and shares about the individuals who influenced him growing up. He shares that his fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Brown, always pushed him to reach his potential. She saw that if he just put effort into the work instead of coasting by that he could really excel.
28:54 – Michael Hearn’s experience working on aircraft carriers taught him how to navigate and coordinate many different moving pieces at once. “It’s organized chaos… it’s like a ballet… everyone has their part to play.”
Leaders will never settle for doing what they’re supposed to do. Leaders are always going to look for ways to do more. Leaders of billion-dollar companies will not hesitate to pick up trash. They will do whatever it takes to make a contribution to the team, knowing it’s for the collective.
Listen to the full episode for even more powerful insights from Michael Hearn.
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Thank you, Michael Hearn Jr.
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/mhearnjr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/toddbaldwin
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikehearnjr
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